


One of Gotham's Finest

by Nerd4StageandScreen



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, I put my characters through hell, Violence, feautures a cute dog, just a little bit dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:34:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 77,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23420266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd4StageandScreen/pseuds/Nerd4StageandScreen
Summary: I knew that in order to survive Gotham you had to be willing to do things that you normally wouldn't, I just never thought that I would be any good at those things. Yet in this day and age anyone, especially a lady, who can lay a cop on their ass gets sent to the loony bin, at least the time I spent at Arkham wasn't a complete waste, after all my neighbor was very accommodating.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Welcome to my first ever story that I'm posting to AO3, I've written a couple things on Fanfiction.net but I'm trying to branch out a bit. Anyway I hope you like! Happy Reading!

Just How Much Insanity Is Enough?

"Ok Liz, I just bought Tallon some more food and treats today, so if I'm not back before 12 just go ahead and feed him for me, and if I'm not back before four, then something happened and you know what to do. As always spare key is stuck beneath the wallpaper at the bottom of the door." _Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah, repetitive bullshit, she should know the drill by now._ I never used to have to leave the apartment this much but every single job that I've been given by Nate seemed promising at first but ended up being a complete waste of my time. Not a single one paid above five thousand, hell my rent was close to two thousand a month itself, granted central Gotham wasn't the cheapest choice location wise but it's actually better to hide in plain sight sometimes. I came to the realization a bit late, shame on me, that I was being given the jobs that were deemed the "least dangerous". Nate said he was only looking out for me, but it's a bit laughable considering the numerous dangers in my life that he has no clue about.

Yet, thanks to mine and Nates friendship I now have the pleasure of finding my own jobs, I won't lie that I've gotten a bit lazy these past two years because the jobs he provided just fell into my lap and I never had to worry about the process. Yet even now I still can't take credit entirely for this particular job, word was going around the darker side of town that LexCorp was offering a 'mighty fine' prize for any dirt that someone could dig up on Wayne Enterprise, his words not mine. Rumor has it that Wayne was backing out of a huge deal with Luthor, one that could cost a couple millions, _like either of them really need it though, does sometimes make you wonder what they are hiding._ Regardless of the proposer or the stipulations of the contract, I'm not one to turn down a promising job proposal, never have been, and anything that has to do with Wayne was interesting enough, price tags just a bonus.

"I still don't know why you bother keeping that dog if you could go to jail at any given moment...it's a bit fucked up if you ask me." Liz has been my neighbour ever since I moved to Gotham when I was twenty-two, a little bit of fear and money is all that's kept her from going to the police for the past four years. She's as far from a friend as I could get in this city. However it works, Tallon gets a friend while I'm out on the town and I can go out with peace of mind knowing that if something were to happen to me he would be taken care of, or at least he would be fed. He turns into a child when he's hungry.

"No, no, I don't think I asked for your opinion, have you never heard them say that the loneliest people need companionship the most, are you saying I should deny myself that?" She didn't say anything, like I knew she would. "Just keep your thoughts to yourself Liz because if it wasn't for him you wouldn't be getting a check, which by the way won't be coming this month if we keep up the chit chat, so I'm gonna head out. If anything happens to my dog, I will kill you in the most painful and excruciating way, no one will ever find you, yadda, yadda, yadda, you know the drill…" I slipped on my jacket along with my gloves while I headed for the stairs.

"I hear the same speech every week Scar."

"Well then you should have it memorized by now, I'll let you tell it to me next time." The slamming of the door signalled my exit and the end to the conversation. In all honesty I just wanted to stay home so I could binge watch season three of _Hannibal_ , is it stereotypical to watch crime shows when you are a criminal yourself, I don't think so. Reaching the bottom of the stairs I made my way to my pride and joy, a 2013 Aprilia Tuono, it was a standard motorcycle, definitely nothing compared to Batman's bat bike, but it was what I bought with my first major steal, so therefore it shall always remain my baby. I slipped my ipod out of my backpack and popped my earbuds in before putting on my helmet then I revved up my baby while _A Little Piece of Heaven_ blasted in my ears.

I made my way out of the parking deck and started on my way without the aid of GPS, I had no need, I've been to the house too many times to count. There was something different in tonight's ride, my head was in the job and I knew exactly what I had to do, but something felt off. Almost like the universe was telling me that this job was going to fail, but when do I ever listen to the universe?

I parked my bike about a half a mile away from the house, or more accurately mansion. I had seen a couple pictures of the mansion in magazines but they really didn't do it justice, and I couldn't help but scoff at the size of the place.

"Compensating for something Mr Wayne?"

I had to laugh at my own ridiculous joke, I had been surveying the Wayne manor, hiding at the edge of dense forest for the past three weeks memorizing every inch of the outside and studying the latest in Wayne technology that he had installed, as if the playboy couldn't be anymore conceited he has to use his own technology. Don't get me wrong I was by no means a genius, I still screw up every now and again when it comes to comes to hacking into higher grade technology, what can I say, I'm still learning.

I slipped my pack off of my shoulder to take out my laptop, the standard login screen popped up when I opened it, SL394, once my password was typed in the familiar picture of myself holdingTallon as a puppy came on the screen.

I opened the file labeled _BW-WT_ quickly and pulled up the camera footage of the house that I hacked into about a week ago. As creepy as it may sound I had spent the past week watching the footage trying to see a pattern in Wayne's habits, that also meant that I saw a lot more of that man than I needed to. I pulled out my little notepad that contained all of my codes and passwords, I will never understand how some people can memorize codes like this. Normally it wouldn't have taken me more than three minutes, but I had to be sure that everything was correct, one little mistake and I would trip the alarms and the GCPD would be on my ass faster than I could say _oops_. Wayne tech was some of the hardest security to deal with, I have only ever dealt with it maybe a handful of times.

_I have to hand it to Wayne, he has some of the most beautiful technology imaginable._

Since surveying Mr Wayne for last couple of weeks I've learned that the man is more of a night owl than I am and that's saying something. He's also out of the house almost every night of the week which is understandable since he's 'Gothams most eligible bachelor', what a load of bullshit, he's only eligible because of dead daddy's money. _Regardless I do wonder what he's up to all night, second thought I have ideas._

The only thing that matters is that he doesn't get home till morning, which is plenty of time.

While scrolling through the various camera feeds I noticed that there was no sign of Wayne, just one man walking up the steps dressed in a button up shirt, vest, and dress pants, after seeing that he showed up on the feed every day I figured he must have been rich boys butler, this could end up being easier than I thought. I tried to push the thought away, everyone knows nothing good ever comes from being over confident, obviously I wouldn't kill the old dude, but that didn't mean that I could just leave him running about.

_Okay so let's run through the plan one more time. Shut down the alarm system, kill the motion sensors in the backyard, enter through the back door, go up the stairs, laptop is on the desk in the master bedroom. You can do this, piece of cake, even if there's only five mintues on the clock for it._

I slung my backpack over my shoulders after shoving the laptop back in and started towards the house, the trip wasn't a pleasant one, then again walks through the woods in the dark never are. Once I reached the edge of the woods I saw the lights coming through the glass walls. Kneeling down on the ground I pulled my laptop out one last time, just to make sure that all the security systems that were off stayed off and that the butler, or whoever he was, wouldn't be any trouble.

I saw him enter the kitchen through the feed and begin to fix something, I knew that I would at least have a care free minute depending on what he was fixing to get inside the house. Hell he could be fixing a peanut butter sandwich for all I know, _actually that sounds pretty good, I should fix that when I get home, crunchy peanut butter though, crunchy is always the best. Shit, stop it! Focus!_

I ran as fast as I could to the back door, the knob turned without any hesitation due to the system setup. My jaw dropped once I stepped inside the house, _damn this place is even bigger in person._ I could hear the clinking of silverware and the sound of cabinets being closed shut, which was good, it meant he was still in the kitchen, but in order to get upstairs I would end up being directly in his line of sight. Knowing that I would have to get rid of him before I could do anything I waited until the shuffling stopped, and footsteps could be heard walking toward the entryway. I leaned against the wall and made my move once he became visible

As soon as he crossed the threshold with a tray in his hands, I grabbed his arm and swung him around, forcing him into the wall. His head knocked back from the force, always go for the head first, disorientation is key to not getting your ass kicked. When I kicked the back of his knee his body collapsed, and I slammed his head into the wall once more, knocking him out cold. When he sank to the floor I checked his pulse, which was steady, he would probably have a slight concussion along with some major bruising. I stepped over his body along with shattered china, glass and juice.

By some unforeseen miracle the sandwich that he had made fell to the ground on the plate that remained unbroken. Well who am I to ignore this sign? I picked it up off the floor and took a bite while I made my way into the foyer. _Holy shit that's good!_

I held the sandwich in my mouth while I ran up the stairs since I didn't have long before the guy would wake up again. Making my way into the master bedroom I saw the object of my desires sitting on the desk, it was already opened like a shiny new christmas present.

Before I walked into the line of sight I grabbed a sharpie out of my backpack, when I had it uncapped I colored over the built in webcam, _can't take any chances._ Now I could turn the laptop on, when the login screen popped up I stuck my hard drive into the USB port, it was my very own concoction. It simultaneously cracked the password protection, scanned for any traceable software that could lead him to me. While it did it's job I sat back and ate. I found not one but three tracking applications which took around four minutes to deactivate. Once it was done I shoved the laptop into my bag and made my way out of the house leaving the unconscious butler in the hallway.

_Mission successful._

Granted stealing isn't the most ethical way to live but when you are good at what you do then why do anything else? I couldn't help but let out a yell of happiness at my success while I speeded down the street, probably not the safest thing to do but it felt right.

You may be wondering, _now Scar, why go to all that trouble for a meager, yet expensive laptop, for a job that asked for dirt?_ Well there's blackmail, saved passwords, photos, files, and all things that could make me a very rich and happy young lady. After I get all of the information that I can from the laptop I'll probably end up selling it at a pawnshop, I've got a guy that never asks any questions.

* * *

Once I got to my front door I saw a note taped to it.

_Hey Scar, I came by to check up on you, you weren't here though, obviously, just give me text when you get back. Stay safe. -Nate_

_Well who else would it freaking be?_ I crumpled the note and shoved it in my pocket. When I unlocked the door and walked in I was attacked by Tallon and his mighty tongue. "Oh, why yes I missed you too boy," I contented myself with laying on the ground since he clearly did not want to get up even though he had stopped his assault. Both of my hands grabbed his face so I could lift my chin up to meet his nose, his tongue darted out and licked in response.

"You know I was thinking that with the money that I'm gonna make we should go on a trip, maybe up to the mountains, we could rent a cabin, actually we could buy a cabin, and you could play in the snow, would you like that boy? I know you don't get to be out like you should, I'm so close to finding a middle ground boy, just need a little bit more time." He just cocked his head to the side with his ears perked up, I rubbed my hand through his thick fur and pushed him aside. I walked into the kitchen to get him a treat from the fat wookie cookie jar, right as I was taking the lid off I could hear him start to growl very loudly behind me.

My body automatically went into defence mode knowing that he never growled unless someone posed a threat to himself or to me, I grabbed one of the knives from the knife block on my right and turned around, quickly throwing it at the indtruder. Can you guess who was there? The Manbat, or Batman, or whatever the fuck he wants to call himself was standing in my living room dressed in his ridiculously bulky outfit that nearly blended in with the dark apartment with my knife in his hand.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," he then threw something that sliced the back of my hand that was still being held up from my throw. _Why tonight of all nights does he decide to come after me?_ Tallon leapt onto him after seeing me hurt, he tried to clamp onto his arm but his teeth couldn't sink into skin. I grabbed the knife from the floor while he struggled with getting Tallon to let go of his arm, once his back was to me I ran and leapt for his neck, swinging myself in hopes of bringing him with me. He righted himself by grabbing my wrist in a tight hold while he threw Tallon off of his arm towards the door away from us.

I could hear him let out a small yelp which made me even more determined to beat the living shit out of this bastard. He grabbed my upper arm to toss me in the same direction, my feet came flat on the ground, helping me to keep from being slammed onto my back. When my balance was somewhat restored I brought my right leg into a high kick, causing my foot to connect with his face. He let go for a quick second which was all that I needed to right myself.

When I stood in front of him again my leg raised and landed a sharp kick to the center of his chest, if it were anyone else the blow would have won me the fight. Yet it only budged him enough to push him over the couch. He landed on his knee on the other side, I leapt over the couch and went to kick the side of his head but he caught my leg before I could deliver it. The sudden pause in my momentum caused me to fall back on the couch with my head hitting the armrest. _This is my own fault for not getting the more cushioned couch._

I'm not going to try and be a tough guy by saying that it didn't hurt, because it did, it hurt like hell, but I shook it off and slashed at the wrist that held my leg. He was tough I would give him that, regardless if it was the fact that his armour lessened the contact of steel to skin or not he didn't even flinch. Since that didn't work I jerked my leg which caused my boot to come in contact with his nose, oh please, please, please let that have broken his nose, his body fell back onto my coffee table while his hand let go of my leg. I'll admit that his grunt of pain made me very happy, now I knew that I would have to aim for his face since that was the only part of his body that wasn't covered by his suit. I jumped off of the couch and onto his chest and raised my knife to stab him in his neck, but of course he grabbed my wrist before I could.

He twisted my wrist causing me to let out a short scream of pain and drop my knife, his face moved to avoid it as it fell and clattered to the table. I felt myself go airborne as he threw me over the couch and onto the floor. My left shoulder received the brunt of the impact I still got back on my feet but his arms wrapped around me from behind trapping mine at my sides. He was leaning slightly backwards as I struggled, causing my feet to lift off the ground. I heard growling and could only assume that Tallon had grabbed a hold of his cape. I forced my feet to the ground and pushed back off of the ground and towards his chest causing him to fall back with me still in his arms, I looked up and saw that Tallon was attempting to bite of the fake ear of his mask.

"That's not helping Tallon!" My voice was hoarse from the pressure that was being put on my chest but I refused to stop struggling. "Can't we work something out Batman? I'm pretty sure I've never stolen from you, but if I have can we call a truce?" I didn't receive a reply but I really wasn't expecting to. "Come on! What has Bruce Wayne ever done for you?"

I could see his eyes widen before he flipped us over, and the last thing I saw was his ridiculous mask before my head was slammed into the ground.

_Huh that technique seemed a bit familiar._

* * *

When I finally joined the land of the living I was handcuffed to a lamp post outside of my apartment, I looked up and didn't see any sign of Batman, but what I did see was even worse than the pointy eared bastard. There was an animal control van and Tallon was struggling against the pole that they used, trying to get to me, he would have been barking if they didn't have a muzzle around his mouth but I could still hear his whimpers and it broke my heart.

I struggled against the handcuffs, "no, no you can't take him!" They didn't even pay attention to me, all they did was pick him up and throw him into a kennel in the back. When they slammed the door shut and drove off I screamed after the van, my screaming attracted the attention of the tenants in my building who had gathered outside. I let my head hang in defeat I knew that, that would probably be the last time that I saw him, _see Scar this is why you don't get attached._

A pair of officers came up to me and one kicked the bottom of my boot to grab my attention, I looked up at them with a glare that would have made the grim reaper shit his pants. "You must be pretty important to be hand delivered by the Batman himself, he gave us specific instructions to send you straight to Blackgate."

I gave a small laugh, "you would honestly take directions from a grown man that runs around in a Halloween costume? Hell for all you know I could be innocent. Really, what has the police force come to?" I was fine with being sent to Blackgate, I give it at least a month before I'm able to get out, I know Nate has a few connections.

He nodded at the officer that was standing next to him and told him to take me to the car. The man went behind me and grabbed my arm to lift me from the ground, once he uncuffed one hand he unwrapped the chain from around the pole and quickly snapped it back around my wrist.

Now I consider myself to be an opportunist, and it just so happens that an opportunity had presented itself to me. I knew that I wouldn't escape by doing this frankly I wasn't trying to, there were too many people, but I figured what the hell, I'm going to prison anyway, and all because Batman said so. _What is he God over the police force?_

I was now standing straight in front of the officer the was first talking to me, without any indication I lifted my leg and landed a hard kick to the underside of his jaw causing him to fall back against the hood of a parked car, I quickly turned and kneed the officer behind me in the stomach. I then jumped while swinging my arms beneath my feet making my cuffed hands once again usable as they were now in front of me. I punched the officer that was bent over in the side of his head with my closed fists causing him to fall to the ground.

I turned back around to deal with the other officer but was met with the end of the gun instead, I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. "Truce?" All I got was a scowl, but hey it serves them right for taking away my dog.

"Make sure she gets in the car Vince," he lowered the gun and walked to some of the other officers that just witnessed him get his ass handed to him all the while rubbing his jaw. I also saw Liz amongst the crowd of people that he was heading towards, she looked at me with a smirk that said "payback bitch", I wasn't going to fool myself into believing that she wouldn't say anything to the police, I no longer had the element of fear hanging over her head. The officer or more accurately Vince grabbed the wrist that Batman had twisted earlier causing me to scrunch up my face in pain.

Officer Asshole just smirked at my grimace, _hey I fought the Batman and got in a few good punches, what the hell have you ever done with your life sir?_ The other guy came back as I was being led to the cop car, "change of plans Vince, we are gonna have to send Miss Scarlett here over to Arkham."

Wait, what!

* * *

Let's just say that being admitted into a place built for the criminally insane is not a pleasant experience. First I was strapped into what I presume is a modification of a medieval torture device that made me completely immobile, then I was poked and prodded for blood, fingerprints and DNA samples. They tested to see if I had any strange diseases or mutations, unfortunately they didn't find any mutations, but it would have made life a whole lot easier for me if I had, had some. On top of everything else they took my leather jacket, I really loved that jacket, but at least orange didn't look too horrendous on me, I take that back actually, I don't think orange can look good on anyone.

I was told that I would have my first therapy session with somebody named Dr. Quinzel whenever she was next available since it was late at night now but before I was led to my holding cell I was required to take a shower to wash all the dirt and makeup off of myself, so they could get an accurate picture of my face. Personally I feel like it's an excuse for the guards to ogle the prisoners, _maybe I should write a strongly worded letter._ Being put in Arkham put a bit of a damper on my initial plans of escape, I don't think anyone has ever escaped before, or at least none that I have ever heard of, guess I should try and be the first.

After a ridiculously cold shower I was escorted to my cell, some of the inmates cat called, some huddled in a corner, while a few could be found licking the bars of their cell. It was not a pretty sight, I'll admit that one inmate made me jump when he rattled his cell door and yelled some very vulgar things that I would prefer not to repeat.

I was pushed into my cell none too gently and let's just say that I would have a bruised knee in the morning, bastards. To be honest, after a few years of doing this I hadn't thought that I would ever find myself in jail, I was the best at my job and I had never left a trail. _How the hell did Batman find me, I sure as hell never entered a place that had guano hanging from the ceiling._

"Ha ha ha, tell me doll just how much insanity could there be inside that tiny body?"


	2. I Don't Exist To Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay you made it to chapter 2 woot woot! Happy Reading!

" _Ha ha ha, tell me doll, just how much insanity is locked inside that tiny body?"_

I turned and looked through the bars to the cell opposite of mine, seeing someone I had only ever heard about on tv, guess I could consider myself lucky to have never known him personally though, even taking into consideration the fact that he wasn't one of the most discreet villains here in Gotham. It really isn't that hard for him to stand apart from the crowd, vibrant green hair, face tattoos, and bright red lips don't exactly blend in with the masses.

Some higher power must have it out for me, _what exactly are the fucking odds that the Joker himself is my neighbor?_

He was clothed in the black jumpsuit pants that this place provided leaving his upper torso and feet had his arms hanging out of the bars of his cell and his eyes were locked when they met. His eyes looked tired, even though his body didn't show that, maybe it was the purple bags underneath, or the pale discoloration in his face that stuck out to me, I could even see faint scars if I looked close enough. I had heard stories about how he came to look like this, each were different and more exaggerated than the last, I never knew which one I wanted to believe. Now that I've seen him in real life I gotta say that the acid story is looking to be the most believable right now.

"If that was a short joke it could use a bit of work." I acknowledge that he's dangerous, but I seem to run headlong into danger, always have. I've been taught not to fear danger, to embrace it, conquer it, make myself the bigger threat. He currently has nothing against me, other than his glare, but no weapons to back it up. _In few words, the 'King of Gotham' aint shit to me right now._

But, oh boy, if looks could kill I would have been maimed, skinned, and repeatedly brought back from the brink of death just to be put there again. His glare would have been enough for anybody to piss their pants, _I wonder how many people actually have._

Then in a split second his glare dropped and he tilted his head back letting out another laugh that made my stomach turn into knots. _Is bipolar disorder one of numerous kinks?_

"And here I thought I was the expert on jokes." _It wasn't really a joke though when you think about it,_ but he still smiled at me, showing off his silver capped teeth. "You never answered the question doll." _Well, well, well someone sure is persistent, or impatient, definitely one of the two._

"Never said I would...but boy wouldn't you like to know" by this time I was leaning on the bars in a position similar to his. _Look I know you use flirting as a main tactic but maybe not with the King of Gotham, definitely not right now._ I have to say my inner rationale was definitely on the look out for me when it suited her.

I could hear a low growl come from his throat, almost animalistic, "hmm, feisty...I love it."

Out of nowhere there was a scream that came from beside Joker's cell and I could see an inmate running towards his cell door at breakneck speed, it was as though the hounds of hell were on his ass. He crashed into the bars with a sickening thud, _God that even sounded painful,_ I winced when he bounced back to the floor unconscious with blood dripping from his now broken nose and he had a small cut above his eyebrow. The Joker's shoulders were hunched while he started laughing hysterically, his hands clutching the cell bars while throwing his head back, as though this was the funniest thing he had ever seen, well heard actually, since he didn't have a view of the cell.

"That makes that the third time today Benny boy, you wanna try for a fourth."

A few guards came to collect the guy from his cell, Ben I guess his name is, one looked put out and the other looked at the man with sympathy, _either he must be new or this happens far too often._ I looked back at the insane man who hadn't stopped laughing yet. One guard came up and beat the bars of his cell a few times with his baton and told the Joker to "shut it clown." To which he responded by snapping at the guard like an animal, causing him to jump back in fear, _is that "fuck you" in Joker language?_

I spoke up again once the guards left with Ben, "does that happen often?" It was an honest, innocent question but I shouldn't have asked it, I should know better than to continue a conversation leading nowhere.

He turned his attention back towards me with a grin stuck on his face, it didn't quite match the one on his stomach but it was pretty close. "It's a very recent development, one that I quite enjoy."

I gave a small hum in response and could only guess what other things he enjoyed. _No bad, bad brain, we do not have dirty thoughts about serial killers._ I turned my thoughts away from him and looked around all corners of my cell, they were very serious about not having anything besides the standard essentials. My eyes could only see so far down the hallway so I wasn't able to tell where the cameras were located, I couldn't even tell if there was one in my room, I sure as hell know that they had to have one in the Joker's room. In my mind I was thinking of over fifteen scenarios on how to get the heck out of dodge, but I knew nothing about Arkham, because I had never imagined that I would have ever ended up in this place.

Based on the trip to my cell, I could tell that they used standard ID card swipe to enter each sectioned off area of the asylum which would be easy enough to get by. The guards all wore body armour and carried military grade equipment, to get them down I would simply have to aim for the neck, the guns would be a bit trickier. My biggest setback was the fact the this asylum was located on a fucking island! I was broken out of my planning by a voice that would not be easy to adjust to.

"Don't think too hard doll, you might just end up like me." Joker teased from his cell. His tongue ran along the upper set of teeth in his mouth before it set into a smile.

I sent another smirk his way, it seemed to be a natural muscle reaction since no sane person would smirk at this crazy man, "I think that it might take a bit more than thinking hard to be like you." _Firstly I would need about about thirty tattoos and then a complete drop in my sanity levels._

He gave a low, deadly chuckle, it sent chills up my spine, but the chills weren't from fear and I couldn't pinpoint what they were from, "well at least you know me, so what's your name doll? After all it's only right to know who I'll have my sights set on for the next however many life sentences." His eyes did a quick scan of my body from top to bottom, then back up again. Then his eyes stared directly into my own, green clashing with amber, _oh but names hold power, give a name you give life, you give meaning you give, too much_ , but I figured that I had nothing else to lose, so why the hell not.

"Scarlett Korin...but I prefer Scar."

Laughing seemed to be something that he really enjoyed, because that is exactly what he did. "Oh now that's a name that puts a smile on my face...but, but, but there's just something a little bit off about it…it's not your real name is it, Scarlett?"

_How the fuck did he know?! Kudos to him being the first person to ever realize it but that does not help me in the slightest. Should I deny that he knows the truth, no, odds are he despises liars. Do I roll with it, like everyone I tell my name to knows that it's fake? Shit, shit, shit, ok, ok let's just roll with it._ "Of course it's not my real name, I wouldn't even trust my dog with my real name, let alone someone like you. Everyone knows that the people in this city aren't to be trusted, but then again, know that better than anyone, right Joker?"

"Pretty and smart, or smart and pretty, whichever combination rocks your boat, but it is one deadly combination to have, Scar." _I thought the phrase was 'floats your boat', but okay, he probably meant to say that._

A group of guards came strolling down the hallway shouting that is was lights out, "nice talking to you, Joker," I said while turning towards my cot. _However that doesn't mean I want another conversation, just throwing that out there to whoever might be listening_

"Sweet dreams doll."

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

"Alright Miss Korin, I'd like to start off our little session by welcoming you to Arkham, my name is Doctor Quinzel, now since this is your first psychiatric evaluation with us, well, I take that back, actually it seems this is your first evaluation ever, so we will just keep it light and simple, nothing to worry about." Her voice was light with a slight brooklyn accent embedded into it, but obviously sick of repeating the mantra that they drilled into her from the beginning. You could tell that she looked for anyway to include her own tidbit of niceness into the greeting. She looked like one of the girls that would have been a cheerleader in high school with her long blonde hair and blue eyes, she wore a beautiful grey blouse with black dress pants, along with the standard pristine doctor lab coat, it had her name stitched into it.

"I really wouldn't include a welcome in that introduction, it's not entirely as comforting as they would have you think, especially when it's being used for asylum admittance." I looked back up at the white lights on the ceiling, the room itself was dimly lit but they somehow feel the need to blind who ever is being interrogated. Every part of my body had been restrained to a very uncomfortable leather couch, the only thing I was allowed to move was my neck so as to look at Doctor Quinzel. "Is there any way to lower the brightness level Doc?"

She seemed to be a little baffled at my responses, _guess none of her other patients ever had a sense of humor, or maybe most of them are too out of it to form coherent thoughts, except for maybe Joker._ _Christ I can only imagine the things that Joker has said to his doctors._ "Oh, uhm...yeah, yeah sure we can do that." I could hear the click of her heels as she went to the other side of the room.

Once the lights had been turned down she returned to her seat and picked up her clipboard, "so it says here that you have been living in Gotham for almost five years, what made you decide to move here?" _Wow, Liz just couldn't keep her fucking mouth shut could she?_

"It's actually only been three, going on four, but does there have to be a reason?"

I saw her smile, it wasn't a happy one though, maybe it was just a smile that someone pushes out when they know that their day is going to be shitty. "Well I have my reasons for moving here, since I wasn't born in Gotham. So naturally I think that you must have your reasons as well." She crossed her legs to rest her clipboard against her thigh and tapped her pencil twice on the wood.

"And what are your reasons Doc?" _Enlighten me on the great appeal of this cesspool of crime._

She brushed some of her hair behind her before looking away from me in thought. "Well my education, for starters, GCU was one of my best options, full ride, far away from home and had everything I was looking for. Then there was the fact of job opportunities, there are plenty here in Gotham…"

I had to cut her off at that, "so you mean to tell me that you chose Gotham based on the great number of criminally insane because it was basically a playground for a budding psychiatrist like yourself. Did I get that right?"

She let out a quiet sigh, "well I wouldn't exactly put it like that cause it sounds kind of bad, but yeah pretty much." _Still not a good enough reason for coming to this place._

"Are all psychiatrists as honest as you?"

I saw her smile again, "only the ones who want to be good at their job." I admit I smiled with her at that.

She took off her glasses to clean them before continuing, "but look, in all honesty Scarlett, everyone has a reason for the things that they do. I want our relationship to be one based on trust and honesty. Believe me when I say that everything will go a hell of a lot smoother if you just answer my questions with sincerity. It's the only way that I can help you." _Alright one more joke and then I'm done._

I turned my head to look her directly in the eye, "so we have a relationship do we Doctor Quinzel?" I even raised my brows at her for some extra flair.

You can definitely tell that she doesn't laugh that often, especially at work. "It's a nice relief to have a patient with a sense of humor, but all joking aside I do have to carry on."

I let out a fake huff of irritation and turned my attention to the grooves in the ceiling, _"_ well, since I know that it's required of you go ahead and ask away, just don't expect anything to come out of it." I ended with a quick wink so she knew that my irritation was only slightly fake.

She gave me a small smile and picked up her pencil, "alright would you say that you had a pretty normal childhood growing up?"

I think everybody can agree that, that deserved a groan, "you have got to be kidding me Doc."

There was a faint scratching sound coming from her pencil, "It's a standard question Scarlett."

"It's a pretty stupid question, granted I understand the need for asking it but it's just such a stereotypical question. We all know what it is you're really asking, where your parents abusive? Did one of them tragically die? Did you ever feel neglected? Why not just ask that instead of wasting time?" Her shoulders shrugged in agreement.

"Because it wouldn't be 'proper' to ask a mentally unstable individual such blunt questions."

"Yeah but I'm not mentally unstable."

"I don't know that." _Touche Doctor Quinzel._

I looked away from the ceiling and back to her, "and what do you know Doc?"

She twirled her pencil between her fingers before tapping the tip down a list of notes. "Well, clearly you didn't have a very nice upbringing based on your avoidance of the question. Now whether you had a lack of guardianship or abuse I can't tell yet. Trust issues is a big one, but I see that in almost every patient so you're not a completely rare case. You still have a sense of humor so Gotham hasn't completely chewed and spat you back out yet, my first assumption for moving here would have been that you wanted to get away from home, but you've only been here for a few years. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you weren't in a good place, but you chose to be somewhere even worse. Maybe you thought you would be another nameless face in the crowd here, but that's just my good opinion." She had a real self-satisfied smirk on her face that kind of pissed me off.

"You think great things about yourself don't you?" Her shoulders gave a small shrug of acknowledgement.

"Sometimes, but that was just what I learned from you. I can tell you what I've learned from your file if you would like…"

"That's not necessary thanks…" there were a couple seconds of silence between us, awkward, uncomfortable silence. "My childhood had its ups and downs, that's all I'm gonna say about it for right now."

She smiled at me, "I'll take it, and I think we can expand on it at a later date. Well where did you grow up Scar?" _Whoa Scar? Very unprofessional Doc, what would the board of overpaid psychiatrist say?_

"England, can't you tell?" I was facing away from her at this statement to hide my small smirk.

"You think you're so funny don't you?"

"Eh, sometimes…tell me how long have you been picking at people's brains Doc?"

Her head cocked to the side in thought, "uhm, well I've only been licensed for about a year, I finished school when I was twenty-six, but then I had to spend a year following the old wise owls of the psychiatric world."

"So what you're saying is that you're a newb?"

She scoffed, "I wouldn't say that, I have all of the experience that I..."

"How many patients have you had?"

"Wha...well, I think about...six, maybe."

I had to laugh, "you are a newb." We both started to laugh, it really wasn't even that funny, _I guess she just likes to laugh as much as I do._ There was a knock at the door, I looked over at the clock and saw that we had about fifteen more minutes in the session. Quin, _hmm, I like that, Quin, shorter than Quinzel, sounds nice too._ Anyway Quin called out for the person to come in, before looking at with a 'sorry for the interruption' face.

"Harleen I just wanted to let you that you're at the fifteen minute mark." _Whoa, whoa wait...Harleen, Harleen Quinzel, how did I spend an hour with her and not know her first name? Well I sure as hell am not calling her Harleen it's way too long, L, no to anime, Lee, eh slightly better, Harlee, wait no Harley, like Harley Davidson, perfect._

"Yes Hal thank you but telling time is a special skill of mine so thank you, thank you very much." Damn Harley, the guard, Hal, got really flustered, _aww poor guy must have a crush on doctor._ She waved him away before turning back to me, "sorry about that, he does it everytime, I guess he thinks that I get too invested and lose track of time."

"Nah don't worry about it, it's obvious that he likes you," she cast a quick questioning glance at the door, "but I like the name, Harleen, it suits you, mind if I call you Harley though?"

She coughed to hide her embarrassment, "uh, yeah, yeah sure, I mean nobody has called me that before so it's nice, I mean if that's what you want to call me. If it makes you more comfortable than yeah, yeah absolutely."

"Ok, I'm gonna guess that you don't have many friends in your life do you?"

Her head bowed as she made a few notes, "I thought I was the only one allowed to psychoanalyze around here."

"Are you being defensive cause I'm right?"

I could see her make a multitude of circles around something specific on the clipboard, "this session isn't about me Scarlett…"

"Yeah but it hasn't been all about me either." _I think that's a pretty good point to make with only eight minutes remaining in the session._

She pointed the pencil at me, "that's an excellent point, I'll be sure to keep that in mind with our next session." _I smell sarcasm._

"What if I don't want another session?"

"It's mandated Scarlett."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, let me rephrase that...what if I don't want you again, Harley?" _Am I always such a bitch?_

I could hear her make an annoyed and maybe disappointed noise from the back of her throat. "Really? Well I'm really sorry I, I thought that the session was going fairly well considering everything." _What do you mean by everything?_

"Nothing against you Harley, I'm just hoping that maybe if I go through enough psychiatrists then maybe they'll stop with the pointless sessions. It's just a theory, hopefully it works." Odds are that it doesn't work, especially with my luck. When I think about the time that I've had to spend in this place it makes me want to slam my head into a fucking wall.

She nodded her head while she made a few more notes on her clipboard before wedging her pencil in her clipboard and setting it down on the table beside her, _wait does that mean she's done? I could have sworn we had a few more minutes._ "Let me just say this right now Scarlett, so there's no confusion between us. I know you're not insane, hell anybody with eyes can see that, but because of some bad luck you got thrown in here. I don't care who you pissed off, I don't care if you have a vendetta against the whole fucking world because of what you've gone through, I don't care that you have no desire to be here because everybody in this building is the same way. What I do care about is that my goal has always been to help people, no matter how difficult they make it, and trust me I can tell that you're going to be the one who makes it difficult for me, I'm fine with that. As long as you understand that I'm not going anywhere Scar. I want to help you, now that help entails me clearing you of mental health and you going to Blackgate or anywhere better than here. You have to help me though Scar, help me to help you, eye for an eye, tit for tat, all that shit. If you don't, and I really hope you think about that carefully, if you don't than you rot away in Arkham for God knows how long, it's your choice." She looked at the clock on the wall, "and with that being said I shall see you at our next session, have a good day Scar...GUARDS!"

To say I was in shock is a bit of an understatement, but I can definitely say that I have never been given a better motivational speech. I kept thinking about her words on my way back to cell block A, _would it really be so bad to accept a bit of help? What if she's playing me though? This could all be bullshit to build her career, that's probably exactly what it is. Fuck psychiatrists and their fucking mind games!_ _At least I've got time to think about this before I have to see her again, assumptions are better made after one meeting, at least that's what I was always told._ After my not so long trek I was shoved back inside of my cell and uncuffed before making my to my little cot.

I was giving my scalp a gentle massage before I heard a knocking sound causing me to look back up.

There I saw the Joker across the way leaning against the back wall of his cell, and he had his hands clasped in front of him as though he were used to have something to rest them on. He gave me another one of his large smiles, "so how did your first time go doll?" I could tell that there was hidden innuendo in that question by the way his lip curled on one side.

I unbuttoned the top part of my orange jumpsuit and took my arms out of the sleeves so that it hung at my waist, exposing my white tank top underneath. I laid down on my small cot with my legs pressed against the wall and combed my fingers through my hair that was splayed out on the mattress. I looked over at him and gave a small smirk, "equivalent to torture."

He walked forward "oh do tell me more."


	3. Not the Good Kind of Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope if you've reached chapter 3 it means you like it so far...happy reading!

I was woken up by screaming coming from down the hallway, _dammit Will every fucking night!_ The first time he had done this shit when I came here Joker was awake as well and had screamed right back at him. I was extremely pissed at both of them, Joker had told me that it was a random thing but it had been happening like clockwork for the past three days and I was losing a lot of sleep over it, and my sleep is in direct correlation with my sanity, so it's not doing so well right now. _Obviously his sessions aren't helping him._ There were still a few hours left until the guards would come in to give medication and take the inmates in for their "treatment", I had my second session with Harley today and I was ready to get the hell out of this cell.

Standing from my cot I paced the floor for a few minutes with my arms laying on top of my head before sitting back down to braid my hair, when I was done with my fishtail it fell down to my shoulder blades. I stared ahead at the bars of my cell door and a bright idea popped into my head, my feet slapped against linoleum while I walked to the bars after hopping up from my cot.

Wrapping my hands around the poles sectioned off at the top I pulled myself up, my feet walked up the pole until they reached the bar right below my hands. I slid my legs through the spaces one at a time so that they were laying in the divides of the door. My hands let go of the bars and I slowly let myself fall backwards until I was completely upside down, my arms extended to the ground in a very satisfying stretch, when my back gave a resounding pop I crossed my arms over my chestand began to pull the top half of my body into in an upside down sit up. I continued to do this until the muscles of my abdomen felt like fire and my forehead was soaked with sweat. I knew it was time to stop when my head began to spin, however I knew that I could do this all day if I wanted to.

Since my impromptu workout was now finished I continued to let myself hang with my back against the bars,, I could feel my chest heaving, my legs were starting to fall asleep from lack of blood circulation. I was preparing myself to get down when I felt someone give my ass an incredibly hard pinch through the thick jumpsuit. I jerked my body up and looked down at a pair of guards in front of my cell, they were both laughing as if what they did had been the highlight of their day.

"Down from the bars beautiful." _Okay asshat sure thing._ I gave him a smirk while I curled my body into a ball to pull my legs from the bars and dropped down in front of him.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" I spoke in the most innocent sugary southern voice that I could fake. He smirked at his buddy while giving him a wink, then he took a few more steps towards me and leaned against the bars.

"Oh definitely sweetheart, you know most of the loonies can't make the jumpsuit work, but you darlin', you are most definitely making it work" he spoke to me as though I were a child while his eyes ran across the length of my body, _if it weren't for these bars he would find his baton shoved up his ass._

I gave him a shy giggle while looking down to the ground, "aw, now don't flatter me sugar." Then he made the stupid mistake of putting his hand through the bars and tilting my chin up.

"Well a beautiful girl like you deserves all the compliments I can give doll." _Maybe I'm going crazy or maybe the guards adopted dogs but I swear I just heard a growl coming from somewhere,_ I gave him another smile while I grabbed his hand and held it to my face.

The look on his face when I flipped the tables on him was priceless, I let my knees fall to the ground, pulling his arm with me, then I pushed his arm to my left so that it pressed against the bars, not releasing the pressure until I heard a satisfying crack and a loud yell come from his mouth. He ripped his broken arm away from me and cradled it to his chest while his partner began to open the cell door, a few other guards came running from down the hall to help.

'The bastard's partner came towards me and pushed me against the wall with his forearm against my neck, I stomped the heel of my foot into his toes, granted it didn't do much since I was barefoot, but it distracted him while I brought my other leg up to knee him in the stomach. Once his body doubled over both of my hands grabbed the back of his neck and brought it down to connect his nose to my knee. While that guy recovered a few other guards came into the cell and grabbed both of my arms successfully restraining me, the guy whose nose I hopefully broke punched me in the face as retribution.

My head whipped to the side at the force, _motherfucker, he busted my lip!_ I turned back to him and smiled, I could feel blood smear across my lips and chin, "is that the only way you can land a punch asshole?"

He looked at the first guard that was holding me, then to the other, _what do they have some secret telepathy?_ "Take Neal to the infirmary, then take this crazy bitch to solitary." I lunged at him, just to see if I could scare him and what do you know, I did, yay for me, he jumped back while I gave him another bloody smile. Over the sound of the commotion a loud laugh was coming from the Joker's cell.

The guards all looked over at him, "she's just a scream isn't she boys?"

My chin was grabbed by the bastard in front of me whose nose was now severely bleeding, "you need to tell your boyfriend to shut his happy ass up." I shook my head out of his grip while the Joker let out one of his low growls, "take her away."

I was dragged out of my cell and on my way down the hall I heard Joker call, "solitary isn't as bad as you think doll."

"Easy for you to say!" His laugh followed me until door we walked through slammed shut.

* * *

Joker was right, solitary confinement surprisingly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but to be honest I had no expectations of what it was going to be like either. _It's not as if I woke up one day and thought, hey, I wonder how those in solitary confinement feel, it really can't be that great of an experience._ One downside was of course the straight jacket they stuffed me in, my arms had started to cramp up within the first fifteen minutes of being in here.I didn't really know how long I had been here by myself, that was the worst part about it, I could have been here for minutes, hours, and it bugged the hell out of me that I didn't know.

The time I spent in here consisted mostly of singing, humming random songs and roly-polying around the padded place. I figured that if anyone was watching on some hidden camera then they would be annoyed by the variations of classics that echoed throughout the room.

I was laying on my stomach in the middle of the room, my unbruised cheek pressed against the padded floor. The door to the room opened and in walked none other than Harley Quinzell ladies and gentlemen.

"Nice outfit Doc...uhm quick question, can you tell me how long I've been here, I lost track after twenty minutes.

She shook her head at me and looked at her wristwatch, "for about an hour, I was sitting in my office wondering why the guards didn't bring you in for your session and then I heard that this happened. Honestly, do you have any idea how stupid that stunt you pulled was? This is exactly the kind of behaviour that's going to end up keeping your ass locked up in here."

I just shrugged my shoulders while I brought myself to my knees, "right now I'm just kind of concerned with getting out of this room."

"Why would you do this Scarlett, you had to know nothing good would come out of it. Not only that but you've set us back months in your progress and you haven't even been here _full_ month."

I rolled my neck to the side, "a girl sometimes has to defend her honour Harley, nobody else is going to...and frankly I don't appreciate having my ass grabbed by sleazy guards whose only pastime is to stare at the female patients while they're changing. Oh and trust me I know because I've turned around plenty of times to catch them ogling them, and you know those women can't defend themselves. I wholeheartedly believe that he got what he deserved and I for one am certainly glad that I did it, I'm pretty sure you are to, even though you won't admit it."

She sighed and brushed away a part of her bangs that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear, "I'll have the guards bring you to your session, and I expect answers today Scarlett."

"Alright Scarlett I'm willing to ignore what happened this morning and focus on some other things, so let's start with how your week has been since I last saw you." Harley was in her normal psychiatrist's position, clipboard in lap and legs crossed.

"You know my daily routine Harley, I don't know why you even bother asking." They left the straight jacket on today, guess the handcuffs and restraints just wouldn't cut it today.

"That's not what I meant Scarlett, how have you been feeling since being here in Arkham these past two weeks?" She pushed her glasses up on her nose and rolled her chair closer to me.

I met her gaze head on, "trapped, angry, annoyed, and pretty damn sore. Does that answer your question?" My jaw hurt every time I spoke but I didn't let it show, I've dealt with worse pain before, that small punch was nothing in comparison to what I've had.

"I bet you feel sore, but the other guy probably feels a lot worse, and I can understand feeling trapped and angry, but why annoyed?" She made a few notes on her clipboard, today she had chosen a bright pink pen to write with, a hideous choice in my opinion, but to each his own I suppose. Those type of pens had always irritated my eyes when attempting to read something written in that bright of a color.

"I don't belong in a nuthouse Harley so of course I'm annoyed that I was put here."

She stood from her chair and went to her desk to pull out a file from one of the cabinets, she grabbed a packet from the folder and brought it back with her. "Your neighbour, Liz, said that you would constantly make threats to her, she said that and I quote "she would practically force me into keeping her secret, I was pretty much threatened on a daily basis, she's completely insane. She would leave to go and rob some random place and leave me to look after her stupid dog, she said that she would kill me if I ever told anyone about her, I didn't want to die so I could never go to the police." So you see Scarlett the reason why you are here is not only because of your crimes but because of the fact that you have basically kept a human being hostage for the past three years. Violent tendencies need to be treated, otherwise you are considered a threat to society, they had no other option but to send you here."

I don't think that anger is an adequate word for what I feel at the moment. _The only fucking reason she never went to the police is because she was getting a generous check every fucking week! Did she even mention that to the fucking GCPD?_

"It's so hard to find decent friends nowadays isn't it?"You could practically taste the malice and sarcasm that fell from my mouth.

"You and I both know that you never considered Liz to be a friend Scarlett, you don't have friends." There was no spite in that sentence, it was simply stated as a fact.

"That hurts Harley," _I mean it's true but still very rude._

"That's not what I meant, you don't trust anyone enough for them to be considered a friend. I can't say that I blame you of course, the way that things are now a days it's hard to trust anyone."

_Good for you Doc you cracked the code, and yet you still expect me to trust you blindly,_ "what else did Liz say about me?"

She jotted down a note, "I'm not at liberty to say Scarlett."

I scoffed, _you had no quarrel with telling me police secrets just now._

I could hear her let out a sigh, "they told me about you Scarlett, when I told them that I would take you on as a full time patient after the initial diagnosis, they told me, how you were the one responsible for the robbery of several different banks here in Gotham. Apparently you've even stolen a few million from the Falcone Industry. I have to admit that's quite an impressive feat, the GCPD can't access your bank accounts however, nobody can, so they are unable to get the money that you stole back." _Oh trust me I know, I made it that way._

"Tell me Harley, do you really believe that Falcone deserves even a cent of his money, everyone knows that he has the GCPD under his thumb, not to mention the "suspected" drug dealing that he gets away with, courtesy of the corrupted officials that he's buddies with. That man came to power through some of the worst ways and yet I'm the bad guy here, I only steal when I need to, and only from those that can live with a little less in their bank accounts. I'm like a modern day Robin Hood, only I'm female and I don't give the money away."

She wrote a whole page of notes before talking to me again. "I'm fairly certain you have more than enough yourself and you should care a lot more than you do Scar, the news has already broadcasted your arrest and it's only a matter of time before Falcone decides to do something about you. You know you have quite a reputation for someone who has never been seen or heard of until now. There are a lot of people out there who know about you now, your recklessness just made you a lot of enemies Scar."

_Well shit, looks like I'm going to have to move again._ "I'm touched by your need to look after me, really, but Falcone doesn't scare me, oh they didn't leave out the part where I robbed Sionis as well right, that one wasn't easy."

She clicked her pen a few times, "no, they included that "success", but they also included the murders of several men that were found at the crime scenes. Just like everyone else in this place you've killed people Scar, what makes you different is the fact that I can't diagnose you with a simple disorder, and that's only because you don't have one."

"Well don't I feel special? Just so you know it's human nature to try and preserve ourselves, it was either me or them, so please forgive me if I choose myself. They got in my way, not only that but I gave them the option of leaving yet they were too stubborn to care about themselves, I may have put the bullet between their eyes but they signed their own death warrants. Now two options here, we can either move on from this subject or you can continue to state what I already know."

She looked like she was contemplating on whether or not to drop the subject. Pulling out a slip of paper from her clipboard she scanned it while speaking, "alright then, I have a few questions, pretty basic ones too, you won't have to go into too much detail but at least try to answer them truthfully. First one, where were you born?"

"Well I could have been born in Gotham, or I could have been born in Texas, California, Minnesota…"

"For the love of God Scarlett…"

"Ok fine New Orleans." _Just trying to lighten the mood up._

She looked relieved at finally receiving some answers, "really, never would have guessed that, you don't have an accent."

"I didn't want one when I left so I practiced speaking without it, same way an actor would do an accent for a movie."

Her pencil made a continuous circle around something on her paper, "any reason why you didn't want the accent?"

My eyes narrowed onto hers, I'm pretty sure I wasn't as intimidating as I would hope, mainly because of this straight jacket. "It was annoying."

_There is this thing called multitasking Harley, I really think that you need to work on it, the long periods of silence while you are making notes is starting to annoy me._ "Interesting, do you have any siblings?"

"No." _Mommy didn't want anything else screwing up her life. It would have been nice to have someone there, but she took that away._

"Alright short and sweet, have you ever travelled outside of New Orleans and Gotham."

_Even a criminal needs a vacation Harley,_ "of course I have, my money just doesn't sit in its bank account, I do actually use it." She nodded and hummed softly to herself while standing from her chair, _guess that ends the questionnaire._

She went back to her desk to return my file to it's cabinet, I made a mental note of where it was exactly, "I was told that you had been put across from the Joker, what's that like, I know it can't be easy."

I looked at her and noticed that she was fidgeting with her bangs while she came to sit back down, _is someone a little curious about the Joker?_ "Are you asking me because you want to know if I'm comfortable being near him? Or, are you just asking to learn more about him?"

She refused to look at me while she answered, and her legs continued to cross and uncross, it was a tell tale sign of nervousness. "No, o-of course not, this is coming from a professional view I just think that he's mentally interesting, that's all...I only did his initial exam though, I-I haven't seen him since. I've read all the files on him and seen all of his news stories, and I know that he, he can be intimidating. I just wanted to know if you felt that there should be some more boundaries between you two, we can't have anything hindering your progress."

I gave a small smirk, _oh now this is oughta be good,_ "aw that's really sweet of you sugar," my voice was overly sweet with sarcasm, "there's no doubt that he's interesting, we talk just about every day, but that's mostly cause I'm the only one who will actually listen." She perked up at that statement, _well there's definitely some interest there. I should feel used but honestly who wouldn't be interested in the Joker?_

"Really, w-well what do you two talk about?" She poised the pen above her paper and clicked it a few times, anxious for any information that she could get. _If Joker only knew that he had a secret admirer._

"All sorts of things really, he's actually a great conversationalist once you talk to him, ironically funny too. He's one of the few people who can tell when I'm lying, it pisses me off to no end, I figure he knows because it's second nature to him. I can never tell what the day's conversation will consist of…but I can definitely see why you find him so fascinating."

She scribbled on her notepad, "does he...ever talk about himself?"

I gave a scoff at that, "of course not, neither of us do, at least not about anything that is important." She gave a look of defeat at the fact that she couldn't get any information on him. "How about you and I strike a deal Harley. Let's just say that word gets out there that I'm getting so much better, and by some unearthly miracle the Joker suddenly want you as his one and only psychiatrist." I could tell that she was tempted by the offer, the way her hand ran over her hair, unnecessarily smoothing it out while her pen fidgeted in the other.

"That's ridiculous Scarlett, I would lose my licence. Not only that but for you to even suggest that would only set you farther back than what you already have."

I let my head fall back in an exaggerated sigh of frustration, "honestly Harley, would you rather be scared of the idea of losing your licence? Or, do you want to be the only out there to have info on the King of Gotham, for me it's really a no brainer. Just think about it Harls, you could be the first person to ever crack the crazy nut that is the Joker...hell you could probably write a book, just think of the reviews that would get, you would probably be at the top of the bestseller list with that story. 'The Man Behind the Face Paint', you could probably come up with a better title but still."

She took off her glasses and rubbed the lenses against her blouse, but she didn't put them back on right after, instead she continued to hold them in her hand. "Do you really think that you could convince him to let me be his psychiatrist?" _Score one for Scarlett._

My mouth was curved with a small smirk, "oh I couldn't convince him to do anything, however, persuading is another story."

* * *

Joker was waiting for me when I was brought back to my cell, he always is. He was leaning against the bars, eyes trained on me the entire time, the guards certainly were not gentle today while they were putting me through the door.

I could hear the Joker's low growl from across the way, "easy boys, you don't want anything else to get broken today do you?" The guards turned to him and he simply stood there smiling, _Charlie would have said he's wreathed in smiles_. The two men locked my cell door and left, he followed them down the hall, it was scary that his eyes never blinked until he turned back to me, "how's the cheek doll?"

My eyes had never left him so when he turned back I tried to play it off that I wasn't being a complete creep. I reached down and started to slip off the gray socks they issue us. I'm pretty sure they are the same type of socks you get at the hospital, "trust me I've had worse."

"Oh I'll bet, I've seen the scars to prove it...tell me, did you enjoy your first time in solitary?"

I started to put my hair up into a bun after I tossed my socks into a corner, "it was dull and boring, but I didn't get to skip out on my session today which I have to say I'm glad about. I believe that I have a little opportunity for the both of us."

His chuckle echoed down the hallway, "details please doll."

Today was Joker's first official session with Harley and I was laying on the floor with my legs propped on my bed waiting for him to finish. _It's only an hour session it shouldn't be taking this long, however Harley probably extended it for him._ I usually always have Joker here with me when I'm in my cell so it felt strange not having anyone to talk to. I could have talked to demented Devon, _Joker's nickname not mine,_ but he didn't really make for good company. The plan was for Joker to work his magic over on Harley, and the rest I left in his pale but capable hands. I was just hoping that he didn't fuck it up.

I heard the sliding doors open from down the hall along with the wheels of a gurney that was being pushed. Swinging my legs down from the bed I rested my back against the frame with my knees pulled up to my chest. I saw Joker being wheeled in accompanied by not two but four guards, _guess the king needs his knights._

Once he was pushed into his cell and unstrapped he called back to the guards, "send Dr. Quinzel my love will you." He stripped the shirt that they made him wear outside his cell off as soon as the door was closed then he looked over at me, "miss me?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "like crazy," that earned me a short burst of laughter, "how did it go?"

He placed one finger against his lips that were still smiling, "a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"When have you ever been a gentleman?"

* * *

It was sometime during the night that I was woken up by a light tapping against the bars of my cell, I uncurled my body from its sleeping position and turned away from the wall to look at what the hell was making the noise.

"Care to go for a little stroll in the moonlight doll?"


	4. Late Night Pranksters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woop chapter four, lots of interesting developments in this one. Hope you enjoy, happy reading!

" _Care to go for a little stroll in the moonlight doll?"_

_No way in hell, how is it that he escaped out of his cell before I could, this is bullshit._ He was in his regular stance of leaning against the bars of the cell doors, only this time it was much, much closer than normal. I wasn't afraid by any means, I knew how to defend myself, and he would do well to know that. His presence however seemed to freeze time, it was so commanding and large; I think that anyone would drown in his shadow, not me though, I would simply step out of it. He looked very much like the cat that got the canary, and the bars helped that metaphor in this scenario.

"You are happy to see me aren't you doll?" One of my eyebrows raised, _not unless you're here to let me out, or you have some decent food hidden in the pockets of those pants_. I didn't answer him but his grin widened anyway. G _lad to know that even in silence I'm the funniest person in the room._

"Do I even want to know how you got out of your cell?" _Please do tell that way I don't feel like an idiot for not figuring it out first._

He shook his head with little tsk's "I can't reveal all of my secrets," his hand lifted to show a set of keys dangling from his fingers, _what did he do, pickpocket one of the guards, no, he never would have been able to_. He moved to the lock on my door, I held my breath until I heard the familiar click, he slid it partially open so as not to cause any unnecessary noise. He leaned his hip against the opening of the door, "oh now don't go silent on me now Scar."

_Silence can speak louder than words at times Joker._ I stood from my bed but didn't move towards him, his nonexistent eyebrow raised at me, "I don't think that unsupervised walks were included in the brochure." _Glad to know that our banter can continue on the way it has been, I would prefer not to walk around on eggshells, and I actually enjoyed our talks, they were amusing at the best of times._

I saw his mouth begin to open to let out a laugh, quickly running over to him I clamped my hand over his lips trying to keep him from getting us caught. _Wow, it's as if the cloaked figure of the grim reaper just emerged from the ground to swoop me up and carry me to the other side._ His eyes widened then narrowed on to me, he made no move to push my hand away, but then beneath my hand I could feel his lips part, his teeth nipped at my palm, and not in a gentle way.

I snatched my hand away from his mouth at the pain and let it stay by my side, lest it wander to the side of his face in retribution, his grin slowly made its way back onto his face after he licked his lips, _that fucking hurt you smug bastard_! "Hmm, I have gotta say, you look much, much nicer up close."

I discreetly rubbed my palm against my pants, and noticed that his teeth had left marks, my head cocked to the side at his comment, _I'm not meant to be ogled at Joker._ "Flattery will only get you so far in the world Joker...now I just want to know if this is a social call or my ticket of freedom?" _Please let it be the latter, wait what am I saying? I could just knock his ass out and get out on my own, that doesn't sound like a bad idea actually._

A small growl left his lips, which are incredibly soft I might add, I could tell that he was holding himself back from letting out one if his echoing laughs. "Oh, no….no, no, no, the fun hasn't even started yet Scarlett, you wouldn't want to miss out on it, now would you?"

I gave him a look of disbelief, "Our definitions of fun seem pretty different to me Joker" He growled once more, and gripped my chin between his fingers, his thumb ran back and forth along my bottom lip a couple times, I wanted to pull away but I froze, _I don't freeze, I've never froze, what the fuck is this?_. The way he was holding me was strange, either it was because coming from someone like him it just wasn't right, or maybe it was strange because it was me.

"Oh the things you could be capable of doll…" _I've already figured out what I'm capable of Joker,_ "I can see it now, and let me tell you...it is very, very exciting to think about, the fun you and I could have." _Again, different definitions of fun._ He was no longer smiling, but his eyes were like daggers that stabbed every inch of my body, his lips were parted and the silence allowed me to hear his breathing, _how is it that heavy breathing is turn on?_

_Okay Scar let's get out of this situation, now,_ I grabbed his wrist and pulled my chin out of the grip that he had, "I think I'll take you up on that midnight stroll."

His face showed no expression until he pulled me flush against him, _would others ever find themselves in a situation like this or is it just me?_ The devilish smile was on his face once again. He slowly spun us around as though in a dance until my back was towards the cell door, grabbing my shoulders he turned me to face my freedom, I could feel his lips against my ear, his breath was incredibly warm and it felt nice compared to the coldness of the cell block. "After you my dear," he pushed me out of my cell, not hard enough for me to fall, but it did cause me to stumble forward. _Someone obviously didn't teach him any manners as a child._

_This is the first time I've been out of my cell without a guard._ Joker strolled out of the door like it was the most natural thing in the world, brushing against me as he turned to head down the hall. I quickly caught up with him and walked beside him, constantly glancing backwards just in case any guards made an unwanted appearance, his arm came around my waist and he leaned in towards my ear. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" His hand gave my waist a semi rough squeeze, pushing me even more into his side.

I nodded my head with a smirk on my face, _of course it depends on your definition of fun however._ "What kind of fun did you have in mind?"

His arm left my waist and his hands ran through his hair, "it's a surprise."

"I never have been one for surprises," I replied while stretching my arms above my head. While I was still walking he had stopped and stood directly behind me, my biceps were grabbed causing me to stop.

"That'll just have to change doll, every day's a surprise with me." _I need a warning to come with that voice, deep, dark, sexy sometimes and terrifying the rest of the time. It speaks of naughty things, possible murder and mutilation._ His touch was cold and I regret not grabbing my prison shirt, it would have kept me somewhat warm. I wasn't opposed to his touch surprisingly, and I was never one to be touchy-feely, his hands however just need to be a bit warmer.

He let go of my arms and we walked through a door that led out of the hallway, I'm pretty sure that I was the only one on the lookout for guards at the moment, so far I didn't see any which was strange. _You would think that a place that housed the criminally insane would have better patrolling._

"Relax Scar, you're so...tense. However I can think of a few ways to ease that tension...if you think you could handle it of course." His grin was absolutely menacing yet still playful, _don't challenge me Joker._

I crossed my arms over my chest, "oh trust me Joker, I think you're the one who couldn't handle it." _It's official, I have completely lost my mind, I have gone round the bend, completely bonkers, I am coo coo for cocoa puffs. Here I am standing in front of one of Gotham's most dangerous murderers, but am I behaving like I should, like I've been trained too? No I am flirting with him! Not very subtly either, I am truly an idiot._

Just as he took a step towards me I heard footsteps coming from down the hallway, instinct came in and I quickly grabbed Joker by the top of his pants and pulled him around the corner, out of sight of the oncoming guard. He was pressed between the wall and myself, and the look on his face was as though Christmas came early. His hands rested on the curve of my waist and squeezed tightly before responding.

"You read my mind, I was just thinking that we weren't close enough for my tastes." He let out a silent laugh, _at least he acknowledges the fact that there was a guard._

I pushed myself away from him, _stop putting yourself in these situations!_ "I believe that I was promised a fun time Joker." _And stop flirting!_

He lifted his hand and tilted my chin up to look directly in his eyes, "and I believe that I am a man of my word doll. Now follow me."

_I don't follow anyone! Dammit I sound like a child._

After we walked in awkward silence for some time we reached our destination, which was Harley's office. "What are we doing here?"

He held up a finger to his lips while leaning against the door that led to her office. _Did he really just shush me?!_ Then I could hear the sound of running feet coming towards us, _shit I should have known that guards would come sooner or later,_ I reached for his bicep to run away from whoever was approaching, only he wouldn't move.

"What the hell are you doing we have to go?!" I whisper yelled at him, _I know you're not dumb Joker why the hell aren't you running. Don't think that I won't leave your ass behind._

Grabbing my arm he pulled me towards him and wrapped an arm around my waist, he had a peaceful grin on his face "calm down kitten."

_KITTEN?!_ "Don't call me kitten, we have to get out of here!" The sound of footsteps stopped, I looked down the hallway to see the outline of a person, it wasn't a guard though, it was a man dressed in a black hoodie and an old man face mask. He swiftly walked towards us, in his hand he held a small rectangular vase that housed a single red rose. He handed it to the Joker with a "here ya go boss", Joker took it with a smirk on his face, then the guy left down the hallway that he came from.

I looked up at Joker who still had his arm around my waist, "you couldn't have just told me that it was one of your goons?"

He laughed at my anger, "I thought it was endearing that you felt the need to protect me doll, I'm touched, truly."

_Jackass._

He opened the door to Harley's office and stepped inside, her office was the same as it was every time I was brought here, but it felt different now that I was here without her. Joker set the cliche flower down on her desk and stole a post it note from the stack on her desk. He grabbed one of her thousands of pens and wrote a quick note down then stuck it to the vase. ' _Come down and visit me sometime, love J xxx.'_

_So this is the bit of fun that he wanted to have, what kind of sick fun do you have from leaving insincere love notes, I guess it's all part of the plan,_ "hmm, J, I like that, do you mind if I start calling you by that, rolls of the tongue a lot easier?" _Plus it's better than saying Joker all the time, I feel like I give him power the more I say it._

He turned to me and ran a finger along the curve of my cheekbone all the way down to my chin, "I think I'll let you, but only cause I like you so, so much doll." _happy to know you like me J,_ he then bopped me on the nose and walked out of the room. I walked over to Harley's cabinet and opened the draw labelled _G-K,_ the screeching of metal made me want to cringe. I flicked through the folders until I came to _Korin,_ when I pulled it out it was a thick as a textbook, the manilla folder that held it all together had various doodles and stains on the front. A few cartoonish sketches of my face, random numbers written multiple times, and splotches of wine and grease, at least that's what I thought they were. _What the hell, that can't be normal, does J's folder look the same?_ Just as I was about to open to read what she wrote a hand came down on my shoulder. Instinct made me grab the wrist to place it at an angle that with one move would make it break. I only released when every part of me knew that it was J, "never read your own files, it's all a bunch of mindless blabbering coming straight from a textbook."

_Would anyone really mind if I laid him flat on his ass?_ Still, I reluctantly put the file back, I figured I would come back for it if I had time when I got the fuck out of here.

The walk back to our cell block was silent for the most part, aside from Joker throwing things at a few inmates that we passed. Once we reached my cell door, he swept his arm in a gesture for me to enter, _such a gentlemen._ "Tell me J, what's to stop me from just leaving now?"

Both of his hands shot out to grab my waist and he leaned down so that he looked up at my face, "trust me doll, you don't wanna miss out on the things that I have in store."

_His hands on my waist shouldn't feel as good as it does,_ "fine I guess I can be patient, just make it soon if you don't mind." He stood to his full height once more and leaned close to my ear.

"Sooner than you think," I felt him place a kiss directly underneath my ear, _oh holy hell._ He backed away and I walked into my cell, I could still the warmth from his lips. I heard him close the door and lock it, "sweet dreams doll."

"Night J."

* * *

The next morning after mine and J's "little bit of fun", at least that's what he called it, the sound of heels could be heard coming down the hall. I could already tell who it was, unless the usual guards decided to change it up today by wearing five inch heels, Harley never stopped at my cell to talk though, and I could only see the back of her lab coat as she stood facing J.

"To what do I owe the surprise visit Dr. Quinzel?" He was laying on his cot with his arms stretched above his head, and torso on display for the world to see, but the good doctor was the only one admiring it. _Well, I peeked, for about thirty minutes._

I couldn't see her front but I could assume that her hands were crossed over her chest, my guess is that she's scared, probably intrigued as well, if he could get out of his cell to send a flower what else could he do? "You know exactly why I'm here Joker. How did those flowers get into my office, no, more importantly, how the hell did you get out of your cell?"

His legs stretched out so he could cross them at the ankles, "where's the fun in knowing Doc?" A smile had made it's way onto my face now, was there a bit of guilt at what we were doing to poor Harley, yes, did I care about my freedom more, absolutely, Harley is just a casualty in that pursuit.

"You know I think that the guards would be very interested in knowing that you have been out of your cell." _Ooh making threats now are we Harley?_ "I also believe that they would be very happy to know that Scar has been out with you as well, considering that they have been looking for her to mess up ever since the breaking of arms fiasco." _Making threats against me is even worse Doc!_

"Don't make threats you won't act on Harley!" She looked at me but quickly turned her head back to look at Joker.

J only laughed at her attempts to threaten him, "now, now...you and I both know that if you were going to go to the guards you would have already. Don't try to play a gambler sweetheart, trust me, it won't end well for you."

"Tough talk for a man behind bars." _Just stop Harley, you're only digging yourself into a deeper hole._

He stood from his bed and walked towards the bars, he walked with regalness, _I guess you have to have the walk of a king as well J._ When he leaned against the bars I noticed that Harley took a step away from them obviously she was as terrified of him as anyone should be. "Would you prefer to see me outside of these bars Dr. Quinzel?" His voice was lowered enough to be considered a growl, and dare I say it, it was downright seductive.

Harley quickly turned and walked back down the hallway with J calling after her, "I'll see you next week Doc!" He then turned towards me and gave a wink that came along with a very charming smirk that was growing on me.

* * *

"So tell me, how often does Hatter speak in rhyme?" I was currently leaning on the bars of my cell while sitting on the ground, this is the position that I would take whenever J and I would have our very interesting conversations, this way I would be able to hear him better. Today's topic was that of the previous inmates J has had the displeasure of meeting.

"Every single fucking time he opens his mouth," I couldn't help but laugh at the clear hatred he held for the man.

"How the hell did you deal with that?"

"Oh I didn't," _I don't even want to know what you did to the guy J. I've always loved Alice In Wonderland but certainly not to Jervis's extent._ I remember hearing about on the news one day, how he had killed so many girls simply because they were not "his" Alice, the guy took the story a bit too far in my opinion. "So tell me doll, when you saw me on the news what was your first impression of me?"

_This guy is pretty sexy for a psychopath,_ "well first I thought, who the hell is this guy, secondly I thought, well green hair certainly is a fashion statement. Then I thought, this guys tattoos are pretty awesome I wonder who does them, and before I turned off the tv I thought well, I hope I never meet him. I guess with my last thought I was just setting myself up, not that I'm complaining or anything." He just laughed, but it wasn't like any of the other laughs I had ever gotten from him, it was loud, obnoxious, and frightening, the laughs came in drawn out bursts, with the end of the laugh fading out before going into the next. _I would hate for that to be the last thing I heard before dying._

A guard's voice echoed from down the hall, "shut the hell up Joker!"

He looked over to me after his laughs quieted down, "was that James?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm not sure, it sounded like him but don't take my word for it." Standing I stretched out my legs that had grown stiff from sitting for so long, I then reached down to touch my toes and could hear the satisfying pop of my spine. I heard a whistle and looked back at J's cell to see him staring at my ass without shame. _I should be pissed but I think I'll let it slide, just this once,it's nice to be admired sometimes, as long as the attention is wanted._

There should have been a guard by now that was supposed to take me to the showers and then to the library to pick out a book. It was a weekly privilege at Arkham, one that I actually appreciated, I needed something to do when I wasn't doing cardio or talking to J, especially when he was in his sessions with Harley. I could tell that they were going well when he would come back and he would have a sinister smirk on his face that showed that things were going according to plan on his side.

My third session with Harley is supposed to be tomorrow, that is if I don't cause any "unnecessary" violence. I hardly believe that violence is unnecessary when it comes to perverted cops that seem to think that a mentally ill patient is a suitable target for sexual harassment.

"And what's your impression of me now doll?"

I glanced over my shoulder, "that's just going to have to be something that you wonder about J." Lifting my arms above my head to stretch out the rest of my muscles I felt a sharp pain shoot through my stomach, my arms instantly dropped to wrap around my abdomen. It felt like hell, like my intestines were burning from the inside out, the pain made me drop to my knees. My body instinctively curled into a ball, to try and keep the pain at bay, it didn't help of course. It brought tears to my eyes, and I was never one to cry when I was hurt, it had to be due to the fact that it came out of nowhere.

The back of my throat began to itch and my form began to shake with violent coughs, I could hear J in the background, "now don't die on me Scar. I know the foods terrible but I haven't died from it yet." His voice was as teasing as always, that is until my body turned and I heaved out the contents of my stomach all over the floor beneath me. My breath came in short gasps as I continued to vomit until there was nothing left, _what the hell is happening to me!?_

I heard Joker yell for the guards while my body recovered from the shock, sweat had broken out on my forehead and I shivered on the ground, my stomach still screamed in pain. I kept my eyes closed, every part of my body was too tired to function properly, I could hear the guards walk down the hall, not even bothering to pick up their pace at an inmate's screams, _hell they were probably used to it._ "Help her!"

My eyes remained closed and my body curled in on itself, but I could still hear everything that happened around me even after my ears popped, but the voices all seemed to blend together, I could make out the slamming of cell bars, the jangle of keys, and the wheels of a gurney.

"Get the crazy bitch on her stomach!"

"How do you know she's not faking it?"

"Serves her right."

"It fucking stinks in here."

I couldn't respond to any of these remarks, my shoulder was grabbed and I was rolled onto my back, the light that was above me caused me to shut my eyes as tightly as possible. My body was lifted from the floor and onto the gurney that was brought into my room, they then strapped my wrists to my side, I could feel bile rising up in my throat once more. One of the guards forced my neck to the side so that I wouldn't choke, I ended up puking over one of the guards shoes, _if I wasn't dying I would be laughing my ass off._

Once my head rolled to the cushion again I was out like a light.

* * *

I woke up in the infirmary groggy, disoriented, and sore, I felt clammy, my forehead had beads of sweat that fell down the sides of my face. My eyes still remained shut but I could hear the doctors talking as though I was still asleep.

"So what was the cause of the vomiting?"

"Probably just a stomach bug, we didn't bother to run any more tests, if it continues then we will, but for now there is no need in wasting resources."

_Here I thought doctors had some moral code, I guess I was wrong._

"Can't say I blame you, did you hear what she did to Neal, broke his arm by using the cell, can't say he didn't deserve it, he was a right bastard but still, just look at her, I can't imagine a girl like her would be able to do something like that."

_You sure as hell wouldn't._

"Yeah I wouldn't either but we have to go, the officers said that they needed to question her as soon as she woke up."

I didn't open my eyes until I heard the door close, the brightness of the room hurt my eyes even more than keeping them open. "To think that you once had such potential." That voice, that damn voice that never leaves, it slithered in my ear even when I was alone, just like it is now.

Turning my head away from where my mind must be imagining _him_ standing there. "You're not real, I know you're not." My voice sounded foreign to my own ears and every syllable I uttered made the pain in my throat even worse. I could feel a hand against my forehead, it slowly ran down to caress my cheek as one would a sick child. It felt so real, the touch was as cold as I remembered and as stiff as the gloves he always wore. My eyes snapped open at the possibility of him really being at my bedside, and he was, but he didn't loom over me, he kneeled by me. _What did they do to me?_

"I am here Leta, and I will be here with you as long as The League lives on. Just look at you, one of my most promising students, lying here, helpless, as though you forget every ounce of training bestowed upon you, you took the privilege we gave to you for granted. In a way I suppose these troubled times ahead are recompense for your abandonment to the cause." His voice was both soothing and reprimanding at the same time, as he spoke to me his hand never stopped it's motions across my head.

I closed my eyes, _you know he's not real, he can't be real, breathe, breathe, breathe._ "Look at me Leta." I shook my head, _I'm awake, I'm acknowledging that I'm hearing a voice, and I'm aware that it's not real._ "The day will come when you can no longer run from The League, and on that day you will understand the cause that you once ran away from. The League will not fail you as so many other have done before Leta." With his final words I swear I could feel the brush of his lips against my forehead. When my eyes opened again he wasn't beside me, there was no trace of Ra's Al Ghul to be found.

My eyes shut again from mental exhaustion, _you're okay, he was never here, he's gone, you're still here, you're still okay._

The door opened again and in walked three officers, I kept eye contact with them the entire time that they walked towards me. All three of them had smirks on their faces, once they reached me one of them placed his hands on the side bars and leaned in close to me. "Neal sends his apologies for not being able to make it, but I think that we can pass along his message."

My forehead swiftly met his skull, _nope, nope, really, really dumb idea, nothing good ever comes from a headbutt._ My headache was instantly multiplied at the sudden movement and my idiotic show of strength and anger.

Once the guards shock resided that was when the real fun began.


	5. Did you Deserve It?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready to see what's next for our dear Scarlett? Happy reading!

"So it says here that you broke your own wrist to slip out of the restraints in the infirmary, attacked the guards and doctors that had come into the room for questioning, you even went to attack a few of the patients that were recuperating in the same ward. Let's see, lacerations caused by broken shards of a vase as well as careless misplacement of a scalpel. Hmm seems a bit far fetched that all of these injuries are a result of self defense and failure to cooperate." _You're telling me this? I was the one on the receiving end of this beating._

They had me sitting up during this session so that the straps wouldn't irritate my new stitches and bruises, _how considerate._

"Yeah that seems about right, but oh wait, did they mention the part where that entire story is complete and utter bullshit? I just don't remember hearing about that. Or what about the part where I was punched and scarred by a knife while being strapped to a table. Oh and let's not forget about the aftermath, you know, where they unstrapped me and threw me to the ground, and the few kicks that they administered while I was lying on floor. But wait, we can't forget the most important part, the fact that they admitted to drugging my food that morning, after all that was the reason that I was vomiting in the first place. Was any of that included Harley? It would seem a bit ridiculous to leave it out."

She uncrossed her legs and set her clipboard on the table in between us. Her hands ran through her hair in frustration, _what's more frustrating Harley, the fact that you can't get anything out of me, or the fact that you work with people like this?_ "You think that I don't know that none of this is true Scar? I knew from the moment I walked into this place that people here were worse than those that we diagnose. I'm sorry that this happened to you Scar, really I am, but there's just nothing that I can do about it. The people that run this asylum are assholes, and I'm just not the person that's gonna change that, the most that I can do right now is be here for you and prescribe some stronger pain medication. You don't deserve any of the shit that you've been through here Scar, but I promise that I will get you out of Arkham, sure Blackgate isn't much better, but it's better then here." _I probably do deserve this shit with what I'm doing to you._

"I think that's the first time I've heard you cuss during one of our sessions Harley. Is that a sign of you coming to your senses, finally realising that the people in this world are shit?"

Leaning back in her chair she gave out a soft laugh, "you've caught me on one of my off days is all, and no offence Scar, but you look terrible."

I let out a laugh at that, "gee thanks, violence and the inability to shower will do that to you." _Along with unscheduled late night conversations._

She waved her hands as if saying 'no big deal', I knew that she was just trying to lighten the mood, standing from her chair she walked to her desk and pulled out a recorder and a black comb. Placing the recorder on the table she pressed the start button and turned to me while holding out the comb, "may I?"

"Depends on if you can cut it as well." _I can't remember the last time anyone played with my hair without the intention of cutting it._

She walked back to her desk and grabbed a pair of standard scissors, "you won't beat me up in the parking lot if I mess up will you?"

"No promises."

I saw her give me a smile then walk behind my chair, "it's been awhile since I've done anyones hair, I used to play with my mom's but she never let me once I got older. I once told her I wanted to go to cosmetology school, she shot that down as quickly as it came out of my mouth. Still didn't stop me from learning though." She began to run the comb through my tangled locks, it felt amazing, "so do you think that you might be ready to open up a bit to me today, I know that you have had a shitty time this week but I need to be able to show progress so just something, anything." _Don't sound too desperate Harley, it doesn't suit you._

She walked in front of me and parted my hair to the right, I looked into her eyes. "I don't I'd rather know more about you now." I could hear the snip of the scissors as she made the first cut, a section of my hair now rested on top of my shoulder, just the way I like it, _good instincts Harley._

"You know that's not what these sessions are for." I felt her fingers run through my hair to shake it out and occasionally brush it off my shoulders and back.

"Then what are they for because I'm really not starting to see a difference." _Maybe it's not a good idea to get attitude with the person cutting your hair._ There were a few more snips before she responded.

"As of now they're for appearances since I can't seem to get you to open up about anything, I'm just gonna have to make up some bullshit sob story about what made you so troubled, they really won't know the difference." _So sneaky Harley, is J rubbing off on you a bit too much?_

"Why is that such a big deal for psychiatrists?"

She combed through my hair before walking around the chair to face me, snipping at my bangs more quickly than I thought possible, "they drilled it into our minds at school that childhood is where everything begins, understand someone's childhood and it can help you better understand why they are the way they are and how you can better help that person. That's why it's such a stereotypical question."

_I wonder what bullshit story J gave her about his childhood_ "but what about those that had a normal childhood but ended up being completely fucked up? How do you explain those people?"

Leaning her head down she said in my ear, as though it were some big secret, "those are the patients that we live for." She ran her fingers through my now short hair before going to her desk to put everything back, I could tell that she wasn't in a hurry. "It's not too shabby if I do say so myself, here have a look." She pulled out her phone from her lab coat pocket and turned on her front facing camera before holding it in front of me.

"I love it, you could have had a great career in a salon." She laughed, I thought that it would be a quick pity laugh but it wasn't, the laughing didn't stop. "What the hell has you so happy?" _It's not normal for someone to be this cheerful when sitting next to a criminal._

"Is it a crime to be happy?" She sounded jokingly affronted and I couldn't for the life of me understand what had changed so quickly. It was like the happiness just came out of the blue.

"No, it's not, I've just never seen you this happy before during our sessions, and I know I'm not that funny." She returned to her leather chair after returning everything to its proper place.

"It's nothing really, I've actually been a lot happier now a days, due to a recent breakthrough with one of my patients. I never knew that it would feel this good to be going somewhere with a patient, I feel on top of the world." _J what the hell have you been doing to this girl?_

"And by patient you mean the Joker right?"

"Oh Scar he's the best patient I've ever had," _well thanks that doesn't sting at all,_ "he's just so...refreshing. I don't know how I could ever thank you for talking to him. You know he's actually very kind, despite his reputation, he just has this sort of captivating presence, I can't explain it, you understand what I'm saying though right?" _More than you can imagine. "_ And he makes me laugh every time we see each other, I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my life. I really think these sessions are helping him, we're helping each other really, I'm telling you everyone's wrong about him Scar, he's not some maniacal monster, he's a human being just like the rest of us." _I'm going to be responsible for the psychological trauma that she ends up with._

"Are you sure that this is the same guy that's across from me? Because you're describing some fallen angel, meanwhile the only thing that I see is a man that's as fucked up as the rest of us."

"You just don't understand him like I do Scarlett." _Wait, hold up, I'm pretty sure I've heard more truth from him then the bullshit sob stories that he tells you during your sessions. He's not some lost puppy that got kicked while he was down, he is an incredibly intelligent man who's gotten under both of our skins somehow._ "He is constantly asking about how my week has been." _Sycophant. "_ He sees the error in what he's done." _Conciliator. "_ He genuinely cares Scar, how can I be the only one who saw this?" _It's a front hun, you have a degree for fucks sake, how were you so easily tricked?_

I rolled my neck in frustration, the pops were oddly satisfying, and I figure why try to help when it's already gone too far? "Well if you feel like you're helping him, you're not by the way, then by all means carry on, mindlessly float in your delusion as he would say. Just don't forget to mention me in your book when you start writing."

She smiled at that comment, it was the kind of smile that was a cross between finding humor and unwanted truth in what you hear, part of me wants to take her out of the crossfire of this shit storm, but I can't. "I would love to include you, but that's only if you give me something to print, maybe get your side of the story out there, give society a reason to not only despise you but envy your skills." Funny thing is I just couldn't tell if I'm supposed take that seriously.

"You're joking right? Let me just start off by saying that I don't give two shits about society, they can all go fuck themselves, I don't need to explain myself to the people that are too engrossed in their own little worlds to notice the real world burning around them." _That's just great, why the fuck do I let his mentality seep into my life?_

Harley lowered her face down to my level so I could see her out of the corner of my eye, "why do you have such a bleak outlook on life huh? Were you one of those that had an awkward emo stage in high school, did you just never grow out of it? I could totally see you with the heavy lined eyelids and ripped band tees." _Oh yeah I just never grew out of it so I left for the mountains to become highly trained killer._

"Honestly where did you get your degree, this sounds more like a slumber party then a therapy session."

She finished of the braid and tied the end with a hair tie, "Gotham Central University for your information, where did you get yours Scarlett?" _Damn, good one._ We stared at one another for a few seconds, she was waiting for a witty response, but I had none. "That's what I thought, I just want you to be able to talk to me Scar. You obviously don't respond to the normal questions so this is the only way I can get anything out of you." She went to sit back in her leather chair, the recorder was still kept on so she didn't have to pick her clipboard back up.

"Well that question is ridiculous so I'm not gonna answer it."

Her shoulders shrugged at my remark, "that's perfectly fine, would you rather I go back to the standard questions?"

_No,_ "sure why not."

She grabbed a single sheet of paper from her clipboard and a pen, largely circling something before asking her question. "Tell me about your mom and dad." _Do I have to?_

"Ok fine what do you want to know about the two idiots who decided to reproduce?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth gaped open, "wait, you're actually willing to discuss this now? Why the sudden change of heart Scar?" _See therein lies the problem, everyone thinks that people have a hidden agenda for everything._

"I'm just taking your advice hun, you're the one who told me that I would need to get things off my chest sooner or later. Are you upset that it's a bit sooner, was the suspense actually becoming fun for you? I can continue to keep all my secrets to myself if you'd prefer that." _It's so easy, when you make people think they hold all the cards they can't keep up their poker face._

She just sat there and smiled, "I've actually never been one for surprises, so you can just tell me whatever you think needs to be said, and if I have any questions I'll ask them."

I pursed my lips and clicked my tongue a few times before deciding on the beginning of my story, "well, I was born in New Orleans, but we've already been over that, at that time mom and dad were both still in high school. Now the dynamic of their relationship didn't fit the whole high school sweetheart bullshit ideals. I really look at it this way, they were two stupid teenagers so in love with the idea of being in love, from what I was told they were constantly making huge plans for life after graduation, like anything they had was actually gonna last through college. Then I came into the picture, so those plans flew out the window, my grandparents disowned them, I've still never actually met them, and my parents lost any shot at their dreams, at least that's what I've always heard. Apparently everything fell to shit because of the mistake you see in front of you."

"Was there ever a time when they reflect any of their anger onto you?" _Well look at you, now you're starting to sound like a psychiatrist._

"I was never abused if that's what you're asking me, well not physically any way, they blamed me for a shit ton of things, for example not being able to have any fun, never seeing their friends, having to waste money on my babysitter, just a bunch of trivial things. Mom didn't go to college the first six years of my life because she wasn't able to pay for tuition and a toddler. There were a lot of arguments about me being the parasite that ruined a perfectly good relationship."

* * *

" _So just explain why I'm stuck at home while you actually have a life Michael, she's your fucking daughter too!" I was only five at this time, my skinny form was hiding in the hallway outside of the kitchen. I remember dad had just came home from being with some friends from college, the slamming of the door is what had woken me up. I couldn't tell at the time that he had been drinking, I didn't understand why he was his voice sounded so funny._

" _Dammit Janie, I just got home, could you at least let me sit down before you start fucking yelling!" My tiny mind didn't understand the "bad" words that were being thrown around, if I remember correctly I got in trouble for saying those same words a couple of days later._

" _No! No Michael, I am sick of staying at home, and you know what? Why the hell should I always have to watch her? You never fucking help me, everything I ask for ends in your sorry ass being too tired to do anything. I understand you work a_ _ **part time**_ _job but you only have a few classes a day aside from that, there is no way you should be any more tired then I am. Do you really think she's such a joy to look after? It's exhausting, I'm exhausted, but I don't even think you give a shit!" I didn't think that I was that bad of a child to look after._

" _You're right I don't give a shit! Do you wanna know why, because you did this to yourself, we had so many options before and after we had her, but no you're fucking conscience wouldn't let you do any of it. I talked about adoption, I talked about abortion, neither of us were ready for this, but you couldn't get off of your fucking high horse to handle the situation. So no I don't think I need to give a shit about your exhaustion!"_

* * *

"I didn't know what either of those words meant until later on, I remember wanting to be a good kid for them, I wanted to be hugged a lot more instead of giving them, and I wanted to be someone they would be proud of. Now I can count on one hand the amount of times I've thought about them since I left." If Harley was stunned by my story she never showed it, but I know she had probably heard worse with J and other patients.

"Did your parents ever marry?" She made another circle on her paper.

I blew a piece of my newly cut bangs away from my face. "Yeah, they got married before I was even born. Thought that it was the "chivalrous" thing to do I suppose."

"What were your parents like when you got older?"

My nails scratched at one of my scars beneath the straight jacket, or at least tried to with the material. "They were more bitter and angry at each other, they yelled a lot more too, neither of them had the motivation to get a divorce though, personally I think it was because neither of them had the money to take care of themselves on their own, so my guess is that it was convenient. I was with my babysitter after school almost every day until I was able to take care of myself, both of them were out partying, trying to do what they could never experience with me. I'm pretty sure they loved one another at some point, I just never got to see that side of them."

Her hands were entwined over her knee, "what was your babysitter like?"

A smile made its way onto my face, "her name was Charlotte, she was in her...fifties I think. She was this really sweet old woman who volunteered to look after me, only because she knew that my parents couldn't afford a daycare or a nanny. You know the kind of people that bake cookies for the neighbours, just out of the blew for now reason?" Harley nodded, "that's exactly the kind of person she was, the person that you never hope to lose in your life."

_I had just gotten off of the bus and Charlotte was already waiting for me at the bus stop. She had her ridiculously large bag on her shoulder, it more than likely held a bunch of useless crap that she would never need to use, "you always have to prepared," is what she would always say to me. I ran up and hugged her, she was the only person I had ever given hugs to, she was also the only person I ever received them from. Mom never had the time to give out hugs I guess._

" _Hey sweetie, did you do well on your vocab test?" I looked down to the ground in shame, I had missed a lot more than I should have. "Oh come on now darlin' we studied those words all week, what happened?"_

_I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm just not smart Charlie, that's what the kids always say to me, some of them even call me a dumbass, they shouldn't say things like that, that's a really bad word isn't it?"_

_She shook her head, "yeah hun that's a very bad word and no those little brats shouldn't be calling anyone that, and I never want to hear that word again from you, understand?" I nodded my head, "now listen here, you are so, so smart for your age. Trust me I look at all of these kids in this town and they don't hold a candle to you Lanie, it may not show now but it will, I promise, you just have to keep doing your best."_

" _But I already do my best Char, what else can I do?"_

" _Sometimes our best isn't really our best because we believe that we have already given our best, therefore we don't give any more than that. Even if you think it's your best you can always give more, trust me darling, have I ever steered you wrong?"_

"She was more of a mom than I deserved, I needed her, even if I didn't realize that until later. She even taught me how to cook, you know she trusted me with her secret family recipes, told me that I was as close to a daughter as she was ever gonna get. I still visited her, even when she stopped babysitting me, I learned more from her then anyone else in my life, even how to iron socks, as if I would ever need to know how to do that shit. She passed away right before I graduated, a couple of days after I asked her to come actually. I was the only one mentioned in her will surprisingly, it was a nice surprise though, she really did care."

Harley's face had completely changed, the change was instantaneous, all of her features dropped into an expression of sadness and disbelief.

"I-I'm sorry about...about your loss, you know I have started to notice that you seem very comfortable talking about death, can you tell me why that is?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I just accepted the idea of death a long time ago. I never had a huge fear of the the unknown I guess. Charlie told me there were two things you couldn't escape from death and taxes. So why should we fear it? Plus there are too many things that could kill me, and after a while I just got tired of imagining the different scenarios in which I could possibly die. I feel like being afraid of death is like being afraid of your own shadow, it's always there and it's never going away so why should we even pay attention to it?"

She nodded her head "yeah, that makes sense." _Well I try to,_ "what was school like for you?"

My eyes rolled at the memories, "insanely boring, incredibly stupid, and ridiculously long, it was filled with people whose idea of a fight consisted of yelling profanities across the lunchroom. For four years I was surrounded by idiots and immature assholes, I never spoke to anyone, never answered any questions, never raised my hand in class, not even once. I would spend my entire lunch period in the library because it was better than being stuck in a place that sounded like a mosh pit at a rock concert. Did you know that food fights actually existed in my school, it was one of the stupidest things I ever witnessed."

"So you never made any friends in high school, not even for a short while."

I leaned my head to the side and regarded her with a look that said, _do I look like I make friends?_

She inhaled a deep breath then pressed the stop button on the recorder. "Thank you for telling me all of this Scar, it really does give me a better understanding of you. Unfortunately our hour is up so just give me a minute to call the guards." _Yeah I have all the time in the world,_ she stood and went to the phone.

"It's been a great session Harley, but I just have one question. How do you know if anything I just told you is true? After all on my first dayI told you that most of what I said would be a lie, didn't I?"


	6. I Don't Get Visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo visitors...in the title...you know what that means? Happy reading!

_Two Weeks Later_

"You have a phone call Korin," I heard the grinding of the cell bars before I heard the voice of the guard. Interrupting my lounging against my single pillow that was pressed against the uneven wall of my room, playing with the hole in my sweatpants that I had made when I scraped them against a bed spring.

"Is it my lawyer again? Cause I've hung up on him twice and right now he's starting to look real desperate." I continuously flicked away the threads that I pulled from my pants.I originally thought that being a patient here meant lawyers weren't necessary, but word on the grapevine is that Arkham is starting to get overcrowded so some of the inmates are going to be moving to Blackgate while renovations are made. If that's true it would explain all the new, young, fresh-faced lawyers that seemed to be popping up straight out of law school. Or maybe it's just a little bit of an experiment for them.

"Get up Korin!"

_I thought prisoners had the right to refuse phone calls._ Today just wasn't agreeing with me and I had no desire to get in another spat with the guards. "Jesus fucking Christ, alright I'm coming!" Once I stood from my cot I brushed away any remaining threads before walking towards them with my hands held out. My compliance apparently wasn't needed nor wanted seeing as they still grabbed hard enough to leave bruises. When the newest guard, whose name I still didn't know, put the handcuffs on my wrist he pinched the skin, he might have done it accidentally but I doubt it. "You could be a little bit gentle asshole."

He didn't say anything and just turned me around to start walking, _one of those strong silent dicks I guess_ , on the way out I looked over at J's cell. Joker was sprawled out on his bed like I had been, neither of us had any desire to talk today for some reason. His eyes followed me as I walked down the hall and his hand waved a small goodbye, it was like the wave that toddlers first learn, where you continuously clench and unclench your hand into a semi fist. I gave a small wave back with my hands still handcuffed in front of me.

It was a pretty short walk, I had come to learn that each building had everything that it needed, they were just separated by security level and patient levels. If I had to guess I would say that the call rooms are located more to the front of the building. I was directed into a small space with a single chair and phone attached to the wall, the guards pushed me into the room before standing on either side of the door.

I picked up the phone off the hook, "Lorenzo's pizza…." _I'm just fucking hilarious aren't I, even on my off days._

"Glad to know that they haven't fucked up your humor Scar." _Nate!? How the hell does Arkham let Nate get a call through?_ "By the silence I'm gonna guess that you're a bit shocked to hear me, you can say something Scar, just don't use my real name."

"Why the hell are you calling me?"

"You know you're on a time limit and you choose to ask that? I saw what happened from my apartment, not to mention that it's been on the news for a couple days now, somebody must have leaked it since you haven't even been on trial yet. Do you even get a trial? Wait never mind, how the fuck did you let yourself get caught?" _I'm so gonna kick his ass when I get out of here._

"Oh fuck you, I know how I got caught, but I obviously can't fucking tell you now can I?" I ran my fingers through my loose hair, part of me wanted to slam the phone repeatedly into the wall. Nate just had a way of making me angry, maybe it's because he cares too much about me, I don't know.

"Alright, alright, I heard that it was Batman, how the hell did you get caught up with him?" _Why the hell would you call me just to question my great capture? That's the real question that should I be asking._

"Jesus…" _crap I have to think of a name_ , "John," _real original, "_ I don't know, Bruce Wayne must have had him in his long list of contacts, or I don't know maybe, Batman just wanted someone to lock up that night. For christ sake I don't fucking know!" I leaned my forehead against the rough stone wall with the phone clutched in a death grip.

"I'm sorry Scar, I know this was never planned, you're too fucking smart to ever let something like this happen," _not smart enough apparently,_ "what job were you doing that involved Bruce Wayne, the jobs that I gave you didn't even ask for you to leave the house." _Is he going to feel like I cheated on him if I tell him that the job didn't come from him?_

"The job didn't come from you Na...John," I heard him sigh on the other end, "it was from someone else. They wanted dirt on Wayne and I just underestimated the wrong person. I fucked up...I fucked up really bad, I know that. Or I don't know, maybe I subconsciously wanted to get caught...at least that's what some of them are wanting me to think. You wouldn't believe some of the shit that they put you through, it's like most of the doctors got their degree out of a cereal box." I forced a laugh out, it was short and insincere but it was still there.

"What are they doing to you in there Scar?"

_It's not just them._

"Five more minutes Korin!" One of the guards yelled out the exclamation even though it was unnecessary in the tiny room.

"You heard him John, I've got five more minutes what else did you want?" I stretched out the phone cord so I could grab the chair behind me and sit.

"Are you gonna answer my question," _no, "_ nevermind I know you're not. Well anyway just listen, I've got a couple of my tech savvy people looking into a way to get you out, they're not as good as you but they'll get the job done." _Yeah I'm sure they will, "_ I know, trust me I know that me saying this doesn't mean shit, but I want you to know that I'm not gonna leave you in there. I know you're not insane Scar, anyone can see that, I just want you to trust me, just this once." _Jesus Nate,_ "I know it's like I'm asking to be saved but dammit Scar I just need a little bit of trust, that's all I'm asking. Can you do tha…"

The phone was ripped out of my hand and slammed onto the receiver. I stood from my chair knocking it back while glaring the guard down, he just stood there with a smug look, he looked like a real asshole. "There was no way that was five fucking minutes!"

He didn't say anything, seems like he wants to be one of the strong and silent types. All he did was grab my arm to lead me back to the cell block.

_I can trust Nate, I know that I can, I also know that if he's got his people working on getting me out then it's going to be a very long wait, and I just don't know if I can wait that long._

* * *

After I was led back to my cell there were a few painfully slow hours that passed before another guard came to get me. Though this time it was for an actual visitor. I heard the footsteps and the buzzer then the voice of the guard, "get presentable Korin, you've got a visitor."

I looked over my shoulder at the new guard, "sorry new guy I think you've got the wrong cell, ya see I don't get visitors." I went back to my original position electing to ignore the obvious mistake.

"Get your ass up and put your shoes on Korin, final warning!" _Oooh someone's using their deep voice today._ I swung my legs over the side to slide my feet into the slip ons that rested near my bed. Once I stood I shrugged on my orange shirt over my white tank top and held out my arms for the anticipated pat down. The guard nodded towards his partner while keeping his eyes locked on me, I gave him an over exaggerated smile while his heavy handed friend searched me.

A minute later I was cuffed and ready to see my mystery visitor, on my way out of the cell I heard Joker call out to me "two trips in one day, you lucky girl." I gave him a quick smirk over my shoulder before my arm was tugged to direct my eyes forward. The guard ended up bringing me to an interrogation room rather than the traditional visitors area. I was cuffed to the table and given another quick pat down before being left alone. There wasn't much of a wait before my anticipated guest showed up, and lo and behold it was none other than the man who ended up being my demise. Bruce fucking Wayne.

"Oh you've gotta be shitting me. What the hell could you possibly want from me when I'm locked up in here?" I shook the chains for emphasis. He didn't say anything just yet, he did however pull out a small remote control from his suit pocket and pressed a button. The only thing that I audibly heard the remote do was lock the door behind him. "I'm guessing they can't hear us anymore?"

He unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting across me, "you would be correct but don't waste our time on redundant questions." _Well damn._

Nobody would ever accuse me of being subtle with the next question that came out of my mouth. "You're the Batman aren't you? Or is that too redundant of a question Mr Wayne?" He didn't look shocked by my question, but I could definitely see a struggle in keeping his surprise at bay.

"I'll be the one asking the questions here Ms Korin." _Ah yes the Ms card, why do older men always pull that, it's way too cliche to be intimidating._

I looked around the room while responding mentally mapping the area, "that's funny, cause I was told this was a visit, not an interrogation. That means I can ask as many questions as I want, and you've already answered one of them. Who would've thought that famous Bruce Wayne is Gotham's own Batman. Though I guess it does make sense, only someone as obscenely rich as you could really afford to do it." _Oh I wish I could throw this in Vicki Vale's face, she's been dying to figure out this fuckers secret identity._

"That sounds a bit like a backhanded compliment Ms Korin."

There are a total of five cameras in the room, two exits and probably four hidden microphones under the table, two of which are back ups. "Oh believe me Wayne, it wasn't a compliment at all. Also you can just call me Scar, the guards call me Korin enough as it is."

"How did you figure it out?"

My leg had started to become a bit jittery and began to bounce continuously, "there really were so many giveaways when you look at it. First off your dramatic entrance into my apartment after I had _just_ stolen from billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, that was too big of a coincidence. Even though I did think that Batman might have been in Bruce Wayne's pocket for a while it didn't add up completely. It also didn't help that immediately after I mentioned your name was when you decided to knock me unconscious, thanks for that by the way, best sleep I had, had in weeks. Second, even though your suit is a bit bulkier and the voice is a bit more robaticy, the height is still relatively the same, also your eyes remain the same. Lastly, it wasn't hard to recognize elements of the League of Shadows in your combat, and we were all warned of you Bruce." _If I'm still being hunted to this day, I can't imagine how often he has to fend off the League._

He let the shock on his face be known at this point. "I thought I recognized the Katana hanging above your fireplace, as well as your fighting technique, they didn't teach you everything they were meant to however."

I held up my hands in a 'what are ya gonna do' motion, "ya caught me, I haven't been keeping up with my training like I'm supposed to. Could be cause I never renewed my gym membership." _Why are you really here Bruce?_

"How did you get away?"

My shoulders gave a quick shrug, "probably the same way you did, but I'm not really free, I dug myself too deep into the League to be. I've been looking over my shoulder for almost four years now and I was doing pretty well until you came and ruined it. Now I'm just waiting for an assassin to slit my throat in my sleep."

He leaned back in his chair and seemed a bit personally offended, "believe me they know exactly where you've been, choosing not to get rid of you is his personal choice, but you wouldn't have found out that reason until it was too late." _I don't want to admit that he's right but I know he is._ "Why did you leave?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I know why I left but you're the only other alive that I know of, why are you different?"

I had to roll my eyes at his way of intimidating me, "I don't know, maybe they forgot about me, or like you said, maybe they're waiting for the right moment. Hell maybe they don't want to waste resources on someone like me. You and I both made a really bad decision Bruce, I joined the league when I was nineteen and I was there for three years, I went up in the ranks like I was determined to do when I started."

"How far up did you get?"

I glanced away from him, "there wasn't an actual name for what I was but think Ra's right hand. That's about as close to a comparison as I can draw."

Wayne looked at me like he was shocked, then proud, then curious. "How are you any better now?"

"Well I'm not killing people everyday anymore so I suppose that's a start isn't it?"

He let out a low sigh, "you had a second chance Scarlett. There aren't many who get that when they join the League." _Yeah and there aren't many in the League who did what I did either Bruce._

"Yeah, but that chance went out the window when Gotham literally chewed me up and spat me back out. I think you need to be reminded that not everyone will always have a home to come back to." He was silent. "I wasted my second chance Bruce, believe me I know that, but I did what I had to do."

His hands clasped on top of the table, "there is always another choice Scarlett."

I threw my hands up at that, "says you Bruce! You had a fortune handed to you when you were born! You had something waiting for you when you came back! I didn't! I had no clue what I was going to do when I left the League because I had nothing to start with before I joined. So don't tell me that there is another choice when I didn't have one to begin with."

"You have a choice now."

_As you've said before Bruce,_ "jeez it really sounds like you want me to break out of here." _Either that or you just want to feel like the shining symbol of justice that you pretend to be._

"I have no doubt that you will."

I laughed at that, "and will you be there to throw me right back in when I do?"

"No but you know where I am when you do. If you decide that you want to use that second chance come find me, my door is always open…even though you kicked my butlers ass."

"Yeah can you tell him I'm sorry about that by the way."


	7. Riots and Riff Raff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo buddy here comes a big chapter. Happy reading!

" _I_ _would pack a bag for this friday if I were you doll."_

" _No problem J."_

* * *

It wasn't the sound of Will's screaming that woke me up in the middle of the night this time, it was however the sound of gunfire, a lot of gunfire to be exact. _Was this J's plan, to start a fucking prison riot!?_ I shot off of my cot, grabbing the mattress on the way and went to the corner of my cell so that I could protect myself easily if need be, I saw the inmates being let out of their cells by people dressed in various masks and hoodies, there was even one dressed in a giant panda costume out of the group. _No denying it, these are definitely J's men, only he would have his henchmen dress up in ridiculous outfits,_ I was sorely disappointed in myself that I couldn't escape on my own, I was instead having to rely on J for my means of freedom, if he even decided to help me out that is. I had looked for so many ways to escape but I would have never been able to do it without the aid of outside help. I guess this would put me in his debt, because he sure as hell wouldn't do any of this out of the kindness of his heart, and I didn't even want to know what his idea of payment is.

One of Joker's goons came and opened up my cell without even giving me a second glance, apparently they didn't care who got out of their cell, just as long as the result was full blown chaos. I curled my body into the dark corner behind my mattress just in case one of the more unstable inmates decided to come running through the door. The hallway was becoming quieter as the inmates ran out the door, when I looked at the other side of the hall I saw J being let out of his cell by one of his men who then handed him a gun.

I stood from my corner once our eyes met when he looked up from the gun that he was given, he had a self satisfied smirk on his face, which I returned with less enthusiasm. We both made our way out of our cells, but I stopped to lean against the wall while he continued to walk towards me.

He loomed over my frame when he came to stand in front of me, "I guess thanks are in order for your brilliant idea doll." The barrel of his gun pressed against the wall at the side of my head, he was probably hoping that it would phase me, it didn't, the League made sure of that.

"Awww, well I can't take all the credit J, no matter how much I would like to. However I'll still gladly accept that thank you." He handed me a card that I hadn't even noticed he had been holding, it was key card that belonged to a guard that went by the name of Jeremy McAllen, I say went because there was absolutely no way that he was still living.

"Here's your thank you, don't go snooping in dangerous places Scar, at least not without me," _What's the catch?_ I took the key card and looked him directly in the eye. His smile was definitely not one of his subtle psychotic ones, you would think that a person with a metal grill wouldn't be the least bit attractive, Joker is probably the only exception to this though. Or maybe it's just the idea of what lies beneath the pale exterior and green hair. The hall was completely empty now and the only sounds that could be heard were the screams of the inmates and guards, and the sound of gunshots that came through the walls. _Looks like Arkham loses its position as the most secure prison facility._

"No gun for me?"

He laughed at me again, "you don't need it and you know it."

Leaning on my tiptoes I pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek but stayed to whisper in his ear, "don't cause too much trouble J." _Yeah right, this man causes trouble just by speaking, but why the hell did I just do that? Do I not have control over my own actions anymore, any sane person would have never done that. I didn't want to do that right? No, I did. Why? I'm not seductive, seductive doesn't work for me, on me! Jesus!_ I made to leave and had taken only three steps before my wrist was grabbed and I was pushed back into my previous stance against the wall.

He encaged me between his arms, palms against the cement by my head. His smile sent an actual shiver down my spine, _this is the last thing that so many people saw, will it be me next? No, I wouldn't let that happen._ The variations in his smile was strange, they ranged from _oh look at this amusing thing that most people should be scared shitless about,_ I _will kill you with a smile on my face._ This smile was simply nerve wracking, I didn't know what to interpret from it. "Leaving without a thank you doll?"

One of his hands came down to rest on my throat, his thumb ran along the length of it, I had seen couples do this on tv and movies so many times before, I never expected for someone to do it to me, it felt _intimate_ , _yeah right far cry from intimate, considering the one who's doing it_. "Are thanks really necessary J?" _Was the kiss on the cheek not enough, you can't be greedy._

His other arm came around my waist pulling me closer to him, "you wouldn't want to be rude now would you?"

_Get yourself out of this place, turn on the seductive charm, if you have any, just do something, anything Scar!_ My hands came up from my sides so that my palms would lay flat on his chest I slowly ran them all the way up to his shoulders where they rested. _I think this place has made me go insane, but oh my he is surprisingly fit_ "well I definitely wouldn't want to be rude, how can I ever thank you J?" _You're lucky I don't strangle you for the things I'm doing, after all my hands are within perfect distance to your neck._

My head was tilted up as his thumb continued to run along the column of my throat, "oh I can think of quite a few ways." I was unconsciously running my fingers on the Ha Ha's and Jester that adorned the top of his torso. _Should I be enjoying this, no, am I, yes._

Our faces were so close now that our noses touched, "I'm not opposed to finding out." _Why did I say that, yes this man is attractive, but he's also a murder, then again so am I, does that make me a hypocrite? God I sound like a fucking psycho._

His lips came crashing down on mine, it was forceful but by no means unpleasant, and I hate to say it but I was a willing and eager participant. His lips were soft and harsh at the same time, they moved over mine and it felt _good,_ I don't know how else to explain it. My hands grabbed the sides of his face, the hand that was still around my throat had moved behind my neck to pull me closer. I can admit without shame that while I was no stranger to kissing, the few experiences were very unsatisfying, _is a kiss even supposed to be satisfying? Can it be satisfying?_ Anyway this kiss was a whole other story.

_Why am I putting so much thought into this, just enjoy it, how many people can say that they kissed the Joker and lived to tell the tale? The fact that he is a great kisser just adds to it._ His mouth left mine to take in air that we both needed, while leaning his head away from me his teeth nipped at my lips causing me to let out a small gasp, _holy shit._ I gripped at his hair to pull him back to me once I had caught my breath, _it was different when I was being kissed, but now I'm the kisser, what the hell is wrong with me?!_

When we both pulled away he let out a low, dark laugh, _okay now that it's out of my system I need to get the hell out of here._ "Oh I like you, you are just one big mystery, a very nice mystery at that, and I'm solving it bit by bit" _What the fuck does that mean?_ I could feel his breath against my lips, it was warm, which was a comfort in the cold cell block.

"You do love a good mystery don't ya J?" He laughed at that comment, both his hands made their way to my waist and pulled me even closer to him, if that was even possible.

"Come and visit the Fun House sometime doll, you'll have a hell of a good time." _Wow a personal invitation to the Joker's night club, well don't I feel special. Probably best not to though, I don't need anymore connection to him then I already have._

"I might...if I can find the time." He leaned his face towards my ear and I could feel the vibrations from the growl that reverberated in his chest.

"That wasn't a request _Scarlett,_ " my name was hissed with mockery and anger in my ear. _Oh definitely bipolar._

I pushed him away, "I said that I might...order me again and I might just burn your little night club down the ground." _Try me._ He did nothing but laugh, yet somehow I knew that he took my threat seriously, even if he did have a funny way of showing it.

Once his laughing subsided he turned and started to walk down the hallway, "I'll see you around doll."

_Probably not,_ "you might." I walked the other way as soon as he turned the corner, once I was out of the cell block I could see the chaos that J had caused, graffiti dotted the walls in various colors and shards of glass from busted light bulbs were all over the floor. It was completely dark in the hallway, the only light came from beneath the doors of the rooms that hadn't been demolished. I had to get my stuff before I left the asylum but I had no idea where the hell they kept the inmates confiscated items.

I took quite a few turns and I had yet to encounter any of the escaped inmates or J's men, _knock on wood,_ I tried to remember the way that they took me when I first came to Arkham but I just couldn't. I opened a random door and walked into an empty armoury, all the guns had been stripped from their shelves and containers, a few stray bullets were left on the floor but there were no cases anywhere. I heard muffled footsteps behind me and spun on my heel to land a kick to the face of the person that was attempting to sneak up on me, it was one of the guards.

A gunshot rang throughout the room, and I felt the pain in my upper left thigh but I was still quicker.

He dropped to the ground with his hands cupped over his mouth and nose, _looks like I found my way out of here._ "Gawdammitt fu craty bit!" _I'm pretty sure what he was trying to say was "goddammit you crazy bitch," but I could be wrong._

I kicked his left side, forcing him to curl in on himself, then kneeled on the back of his neck with him laying on his stomach. I grabbed his right arm tugging on it in threat of dislocation, or with just a bit more force it would be an easy snap . "Listen to me, I don't have time for any bullshit, so you are gonna help me, do you understand?"

His eyes locked onto mine while his face was pressed into the ground, "no way in hell would I help you." Gripping his short hair I pulled up and forced his head back down with a loud _thunk._

Then I tugged on his arm causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in pain, "alrighty then, either you help me, or I break both of your arms shoot out both of your kneecaps and leave you bleeding out on the floor with absolutely no way of getting out of this room. You also know that no that no one would come for you, especially not now, I think I know which one I would choose, don't you?"

Pulling on his arms again he cried out, "alright, alright what do you want!?" _That's more like it._

I leaned in towards his face, "see look at you being a gentleman, knew you had it in ya, I just need you to take me to where they keep the prisoners things, you'll have no problem taking me there right?" He nodded against the ground, I reached above him to where his gun had slid after falling to the ground. I got off of his back and let him get up, the gun was pointed at him the entire time. Once he stood facing me he refused to make any move to take me where I wanted to go, I let out an audible sigh before firing at the door in front of us. That was when he decided to start walking.

On our way to the storage room we only came upon a handful of inmates, however they weren't too difficult to take out. As soon as we walked through the door the butt of my gun met with the back of his skull and he dropped to the ground in a pile of dead weight.

_The things these guards have done, would it be a crime if he were to die?_ I shook that thought from my mind as quickly as it came. _You just need to get the fuck out of here Scar._

The layout reminded me of kindergarten, the walls were lined with cubbies with name tags going by alphabetical order. I walked along the walls until I found the k's, and searched for my name.

_Kane, Kale...Kale, really...Kit, Knott, Kole, Korin...excellent._

My cubby held two separate bags, one held the clothes that I came in here with and the other with my jewelry and cell phone. _It's shocking that they didn't pawn off my jewelry, wasted opportunity on their part._ The only items of clothing that I grabbed were my leather jacket and jeans that I was first wearing , I didn't want to put on filthy clothes that haven't been washed in over a month but I had no choice. I slipped my jacket on over my white tank top and placed my jewelry inside of one of my jacket pockets, except for my necklace that was on my neck as quickly as it had been taken off, I removed the sim card from my phone and left the rest behind.

I was ready to get the hell out of Arkham, but first I had to make a quick pit stop.

Making my way through the asylum to Harley's office was more difficult than I had anticipated, I was constantly derailed by lunatics but luckily J's crew had migrated away from my area. Once I had picked the lock of her office I shuffled in and quickly locked the door behind me. Her filing cabinet was impeccably organized but I would really expect no less from her. I grabbed the surprisingly thick folder, _how can there be so much, I barely gave her anything._ Looking over to my left I saw the J cabinet and thought _what the hell,_ when I went to grab his folder though there was nothing left but a sticky note.

_Nice try doll,_

_See ya soon,_

_Love J XXX_

"Well played J, well played."

It was about a half hour before I could actually leave the Asylum, I was constantly on guard for any loonatics or guards that could be lurking around the corners. Once I had made it out of the doors I was able to locate a police car, I hot wired it and hightailed it off the stupid island. On my way to Gotham I passed dozens of police cruisers, swat vehicles, and even a few helicopters above me. _Leave it to J to get the entirety of the GCPD all in one place. Wait, that's actually brilliant, get them all in one place, then blow the building sky high, shit, if he does that he's a fucking genius._

* * *

The drive to my old home sweet home, _no way am I staying there now,_ took nearly an hour, I parked the cruiser about a block away from the complex. I threw my hood over my head before getting out of the car, luckily only a few strays were out in the street, _they all probably think that they're safer inside._ Once I reached the back of the building I had to climb on top of the dumpster to get to the fire escape ladder. The window to my apartment was locked so I quickly took off my jacket, wrapped it around my hand and gave the glass a hard punch, it took a couple of tries before it shattered. There were a few obvious differences when I entered my apartment, the most prominent one being that my katana was gone from it's spot above the fireplace.

_Well, good riddance,_ I scoffed at my thought, _yeah right says the girl who refused to give it up to a pawn shop because stupid internal sentiment._

I was really hoping that the police hadn't searched every inch of the apartment, I had a few secret stashes of money that wasn't sitting in the bank collecting dust. My first hiding place was at the bottom of the deep freezer, I thought it was kind of funny, cold hard cash, get it. After a few minutes of numb fingers and chucked frozen vegetables I finally came to extreme disappointment. _It figures they would look in the freezer, they probably thought I had a dismembered body hiding in there._

Next spot was underneath the table in the hallway, once again nothing. _Well somebody got lucky when they searched this place._ Reaching underneath my couch I felt the plastic bag that held around five thousand dollars, give or take a couple hundred. I grabbed a duffel bag out of my closet and grabbed some necessities, once I had everything that I needed I climbed out the window and made my way up to the top floor of the apartment building. This was Nate's apartment.

I beat my fist against the window, it was only 9:48 so there is no excuse as to why he shouldn't come, _I know your ass isn't asleep Nate_. He showed up at the window after a minute or so and quickly unlocked the hatch for me to step inside, "well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." _Not in the mood for jokes but it is good to see a familiar face._

"I figured you wouldn't appreciate having your window busted in." I dropped my duffel bag onto the couch once my feet were firmly planted on the floor I pulled him into a quick hug before letting go, I swayed a little before looking down at my thigh, _shit, shit, shit that's a lot of blood._ My makeshift bandage was completely soaked through, I went to go sit on the couch and started to unwrap the cloth before Nate stopped me.

He put his hands on my shaking ones, and helped me to stand back up before grabbing my bag for me while walking to the bathroom. "So how was Arkham, is it as bad as the stories say?" I know that he's just joking but I am just a wee bit irritated at the moment.

"Would you like to find out?" He laughed at my comment, "look I'm exhausted, I just need you to get this bullet out, help me get cleaned up, and let me borrow the guest room. I promise that I'll be gone by tomorrow." We finally made it to the bathroom and he helped me to sit on the countertop.

"You don't need to be going anywhere, not until your leg is healed."

I patted his arm with a quick thanks, "I appreciate it Nate trust me I do, but everything is fucked right now and I need to get my shit squared away and get the fuck out of Gotham." He nodded at me before searching through his medical cabinet to grab his medical kit.

"How did you get out," he asked while threading his needle.

"Would you believe me if I said the Joker busted me out of Arkham?"

He laughed at me, "very funny, you can keep your secrets I won't pry. Jesus, you are so fucking lucky that this was a clean shot, I couldn't imagine having to take a bullet out on top of this." With that being said he wiped around the wound with rubbing alcohol.

"Yup I'm just the luckiest son of a bitch alive aren't I?" We were both silent for the rest of the time, he was concentrating on stitches while I was focusing on not passing out from pain. Once he was done he wrapped my leg in saran wrap so that I could take a quick bath and stood while helping me down from the counter.

He handed me the strap of my bag before leaving me alone, not without saying that if I needed him to call first and to please not lock the door.

I dropped my bag onto the bathroom floor leaving the door unlocked behind him and turning to turn shower on. Stripping out of my clothes I took a good long look at what I haven't really seen in a month, they wouldn't let the inmates near mirrors, someone apparently had broken one and slit their throat with a shard. I noticed a few things about my appearance, one my hair was pretty decent even though it came from Harley. _Oh God Harley,_ I shook my head riding my thoughts of her. _You can't think of her right now._

The second thing that I noticed were the bruises and scars that were located randomly across my body. Most of the bruises were on my knees and hands from having to fight and drop to the ground quickly, a couple were on my thighs and stomach. The scars had no pattern, they were placed wherever those assholes felt they should be and a few old ones from years ago. Some stood out more than others, but that was because some were deeper than the rest.

They didn't bother me as much as they should, I was no stranger to scars, in my line of work you were lucky to not receive one with every trip. I was still good looking in my opinion, in a badass warrior sort of way, _I know someone who would appreciate the scars. No, no, shut the hell up brain!_

The water had been running was now the perfect temperature, at the asylum the water never reached above warm, and even then after a few minutes it went cold. I was in heaven when I stepped into the water that encased my calves, _I can now fully appreciate hot water._ I was in the bath for close to an hour the water was near freezing now, there were a few occasions when I nearly fell asleep in the murky water. I was thoroughly exhausted, breaking out of a prison isn't easy work.

Stepping out of the bath I slipped on the star wars pajama shorts and a tank top that I packed. My wet hair was still wrapped in a towel when I went out into the living room. Nate was leaning against the kitchen counter drinking a Mt. Dew, how he could drink soda this late is beyond me, I can't stand to drink soda past eight. He picked up a prescription bottle and tossed it at me, I caught and saw that it was a very high dosage pain med.

"I figured I would say goodnight, you know where the guest room is. Eat something before you take those, two should be enough. " With that being said he walked into his room leaving me alone. _Well thanks I guess, even though you really shouldn't share prescriptions._ I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and quickly downed it in one go, I made my way into my designated room and shut and locked the door. I took the towel off of my head and flung it across the chair in the room.

I grabbed the gun that I still had from the guard and placed it under my pillow before laying on top of it. I grabbed a blanket to throw over myself, the bed felt like a cloud compared to what I had to lay on at the asylum. It wasn't long before I fell asleep, _but boy do I have a lot to do tomorrow._


	8. Your Knife, My Back, My Gun, Your Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Scarlett fresh outta Arkham how will she spend her first day? I'll see you lovely humans at the end, happy reading!

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Nate woke me up at 11:00 pounding on the door of the room, _it's too early to "rise and shine", hell it's too early to do anything._

"Fuck off Nate I'm injured!" I turned over onto my stomach and shoved my head underneath my pillow, _wake me up when I don't have to worry about the cops being on my ass anymore._

"Stop being mean baby and come eat breakfast, I've been slaving over it for hours and it'll be better than the shit they've been feeding you at Arkham." _You had me at breakfast, no need to say anything more,_ I rolled onto my back and threw the covers off of my legs so I could sit on the edge of the bed, once my feet touched the floor I stretched out my toes, wiggling them up and down. I could hear my ankles popping as I rolled them around, it was strange not having all of my muscles stiff from sleeping on the cots back at Arkham. I slid my pajama pants down so I could see the damage on my thigh, the skin around the stitches was bruised and irritated, _hmm Nate did a pretty good job, shouldn't leave too bad of a scar._

I grabbed the bottle of tramadol off of the bedside table and popped two in my mouth before downing it with the rest of the water left from last night. I stood up from the bed and interlocked my hands before bringing them above my head and leaned from one side to the other before dropping them back to my side.

Once I made my way into the living room I could smell french toast, and _oh hell yes,_ bacon. Deep fried pork goodness is one of my comfort foods, and for it to be my first meal out of Arkham is the piece to resistance. "You know the way to my heart Nate," he was standing in the kitchen flipping over a few slices of french toast in the pan. Syrup and butter were laid out on the island and I saw the gift from the Gods stacked high upon a plate. I reached the counter and snatched a few pieces of the crunchy morsels off of the plate.

"Don't be greedy Scar," _kiss my ass, if I want bacon I will take the damn bacon._ He pushed a plate of french toast towards me once I sat on a stool at the island. I grabbed the syrup but noticed that one thing was missing.

"You're slacking Nate, where's the peanut butter?" I prefer peanut butter over the traditional topping, pairing syrup with crunchy is absolute heaven, it has to be crunchy, smooth just doesn't cut it.

He set down his spatula and opened up a cabinet to grab a bulk size jar of Pan crunchy peanut butter, _dear lord in heaven thank you_ , "you can be a needy bitch, you know that right?" He tossed me the jar and I caught it with ease.

"What and you're not?" I noticed that he had some almonds in a jar next to a bowl of fruit so I went up to grab them, I could splurge a little if I wanted to, after being fed meals worse than mystery meat I deserve something decent. When I got back to my seat I sprinkled the almonds over the top of my french toast, I saw Nate look over at me, he rolled his eyes with a grin on his face so I retaliated by throwing an almond at his back. Once Nate finished up cooking his french toast he came to sit in the chair next to mine. I saw him glance briefly down at my stitches before looking back up, "I'll be fine Nate you patched me up pretty good."

"You sure as fuck keep me on my toes Scar."

"Why do you sound surprised?" My words were mumbled through my stuffed cheeks.

He shoved a forkful of french toast into his mouth before replying, "well I mean we've only known each other for three years, not to say that I don't enjoy the element of surprise in our relationship, a heart attacks good for the soul sometime."

"Oh fuck off you waltzed around like everything was fine last night," I licked a drop of syrup from my thumb.

"Yeah I didn't win that Oscar for nothing," I gave him a quick kick to his shin which was bad on my part because I accidently used my injured appendage. The quick wince I gave, gave me away. "Whenever you head out you can keep the bottle of tramadol, you need it more than me right now." I nodded my thanks since I stuffed my face while he talked, "you know you can stay until you're healed, the GCPD has no clue about me right now." _Yeah as far as you know._

Swallowing down my food I told him "trust me Nate I appreciate it, but this is so much more than just the GCPD right now, I'm not bringing you into that." I took my last bite of french toast and gave him a quick thank you before standing from my seat and picking up my plate to stick it in the sink, I left him in the kitchen and went to pack up my things. I stuck all that I brought into my bag and quickly made up the bed, _I'm not entirely rude._ The outfit that I changed into consisted of a plain black hoodie, along with a pair of skinny jeans and my combat boots. I needed to find somewhere to stay for a while before doing anything else, probably a motel, at least for a couple of days, just to get everything sorted.

I slung my duffel bag onto my shoulder while I walked to the door. Nate was still sitting down at the island, his face hovered over his plate and I could see that he continued to shovel forkfuls of french toast into his mouth. When I reached the door I saw a takeout container filled with bacon on the table by the door, _aww what a sweetheart._ I looked over my shoulder, "thanks for everything Nate, I'm sorry for barging in, I'll call when I figure out what the fuck I'm doing." I received a nod of acknowledgment from a face whose cheeks were stuffed with fried egg soaked bread. _I actually think I might miss him._

I found a small seedy motel that was mostly unoccupied save for few cars, it was one of those inns that gave off the bad vibe of one too many murders having occurred inside. I booked a room for the rest of the week, I figured that it would give me enough time to get everything together before leaving Gotham. Believe me when I say that I would have prefered to stay in the city, there was never a dull moment and the crime rate was so high that the GCPD never knew who did what, but I couldn't continue to live here now that all of the mob bosses that I ever stole from knew my face and name.

I sat at the small desk that the motel room provided, before taking out my laptop from my bag. It only took me a couple minutes to log onto the wifi, I couldn't even count the amount of tabs that were open on my laptop, it just shows how much that I had to do. Since I last logged on there were over 300 unopened emails, while most of it was trash I still hated having my inbox unorganized. I went through deleting all of the unauthorized access and attempted hacker emails first, then started to sort through the ones that mattered. One from _ENHRMTIWLTSOPTTUWTESF1948_ imidieatley caught my attention.

_Dear Ms Korin,_

_It has come to my attention that you and your complete lack in competence have finally led you to be locked away for life. The only reason I have even graced your pathetic inbox is to congratulate you on a splendid job well done. On doing exactly what I predicted of you. While I know you will never see this message it gives me great joy in knowing it is here. May our paths never cross again and may your extorted money keep out of your reach. Enjoy the white walls of Arkham Ms Korin._

_Insincerely,_

_EN_

_Oh for fucks sake Riddler,_ I hit the reply button and typed out three words before hitting send.

_Think again dumbass._

Currently I was looking at my file, I had hacked into the GCPD's database a long time ago, just another thing for them to charge me with. It was actually a good way to pass the time, the things that people have been charged with can get extremely ridiculous. I remember one old lady was charged with attempting to poison a school's water supply, when they caught her she had no idea what she was doing, I just couldn't see an old lady attempting to do that to kids.

The charges against me consisted of murder, theft, hacking of secure database, _huh, not really that secure if I was able to hack into it in the first place_ , and blackmail. There were a lot of people with worse charges then this that still walk free in Gotham, some things just don't add up do they? I could clear a few of these charges easily, but what would the point be, in about a month I would be someone new, somewhere new.

I found the police report from the night that they arrested me.

_The GCPD received a message from the Batman to come and take a criminal to Blackgate at 10:51 PM, we arrived at the scene at 11:23 PM. Scarlett Korin was left tied to a lamppost outside of her apartment, she was unconscious at the time. We had to call animal control to come and confiscate her dog that was left tied to the steps of the building away from its owner. The dog is now at the Gotham Animal Shelter._

_Miss Korin was hysterical when she gained consciousness, when officer Jones and myself went to put her in the back of the squad car she became violent and injured my jaw and officer Jones stomach. When we restrained Miss Korin I went to receive a statement from her neighbour Elizabeth Hand._

Hold the fuck up, if Wayne had sent that message at 10:51 he had to have been at my apartment before I was even half way back from his home, _how the hell did he even know that I had broken in? I made sure that all security had been shut off, he probably had fucking bat back up generators._

I knew where I could find Tallon now, which was one of many things I needed to know, for now. I clicked on the search bar and my fingers involuntarily began to type in the letters to spell Joker. _Why am I even bothering with him? He is more trouble than he is worth, I can't get involved with him. However if I was a normal person, well as normal as I could be, I would have tried to be friends with him. That is if I was certain that I wouldn't have to constantly fear for my life around him._

J had to have been the most interesting person I had ever met in my life, _God I sound like Harley,_ maybe it was the complete lack of concern that gave him his appeal. To be able to never have to worry would be heaven. He truly does fit the title of King of Gotham well, waltzing around, setting off bombs, causing wars, _oh yeah definitely a king._

I quickly backspaced, _I don't need to know, I may want to, but I don't need to. Besides I've seen more than enough of his escapades on tv._ With that thought I shut my laptop and went to my bag to grab the folder out of it. I couldn't help but feel that something was off with the way that she cared for this file, it looked like it was taken home many times with possibly many late nights spent poring over it. I just wanted to take a quick look at it, but as soon as I opened it numerous photos of me spilled out, some with me in the background and others from security footage of Arkham.

All of these photos had my face circled with a few ineligible notes surrounding them. There was one that stood out though, instead of it being a regular a circle is was a shit ton of scribbles almost like she was trying to erase something. _What the fuck Harley? I know that this can't all be for your book._ I closed the folder and decided to look at it at another time, there was just too much to go through right now.

Standing from my desk I went to the window and peeked out of the curtains, I saw that there were five cars in the lot. I grabbed a complimentary wire coat hanger from the closet, slipped on my hoodie and walked outside, I chose the oldest car that was in the parking lot to "borrow" for the day. I would like say that I could be considered a professional when it comes to hotwiring a car, even though I first learned how to do it from a video on Youtube.

* * *

The animal shelter that the police had sent Tallen to was open from six to six, the time right now was 6:48, the employees all should have left by now, save for a janitor or two. It was already dark when I pulled into the parking lot. I walked up to the building, the door was glass with the GNAS symbol on it.

I saw one security guard sitting at the information desk, _do animal shelters even need guards?_ I knocked on the door, the guard looked up from his phone and walked to the entrance, he took out his keys and unlocked the door. "I'm sorry ma'am, the shelter is closed right now we will open again on Monday." Whipping my hand to the back of his head I brought his forehead down to connect with the paneling on the door, he collapsed, I grabbed his arm to bring him around the desk, out of sight.

I knew that there was a chance that this was all for nothing, I had been gone for almost two months, he could have been adopted or sent somewhere else but I figured I had nothing else to lose so what could it really hurt?

I grabbed his keys from his belt and went to the door that led to the cages that they kept the animals in, once I unlocked it I was met with barking from many different dogs. It broke my heart to see them all locked up, no one cared enough about them to give them any love, the only affection they got were from those who got paid to give it.

My head kept turning from left to right while I walked down the hallway, I reached the end of the hall but I still didn't see him, I called out his name, it took a second but I then heard barking coming from a door to my left. I ran to the door and unlocked it, the room held another set of cages along the back of the wall and Tallon was in the biggest one on the bottom right.

When he saw me he started barking and skipping around in circle inside of his cage, I knelt down in front of the cage and grasped the thin wire bars. His tongue came out to lick the fingers that were in the cage, "I know I missed you too boy." I had to guess multiple times on which key was used to unlock cages but when I finally got the right one Tallon leaped out of the cage and tackled me to the ground while licking my face.

I am not ashamed to say that there were tears in my eyes, he stopped the assault and laid across the length of my body just as he did the night they took him away. His head rested on my chest and I swear that it looked as though he was smiling. "My beautiful boy, they haven't been feeding you well have they? We'll fix that don't worry." my hand rested on top of his head and pushed his ears back, I gave him a couple of kisses on his face, "are you ready to go boy? I know that I am." He jumped off of me and went to sit by the door, I stood as well and we walked out together. When we made our way to the front of the building I noticed that the guard was still knocked out, I threw his keys on top of his stomach.

Tallon sat in the front seat with his head resting on my lap while I drove, he was asleep by the time we got to the motel. _My best friend,_ I had, had Phantom ever since he was puppy, a lady had gotten two Northern Inuits from overseas, she bred them and I got my big baby out of it.

When we arrived at the motel I had to quickly sneak him inside the room, this motel didn't allow pets. I gave him one the of hamburgers that I had gotten earlier today, and once he was done eating I took him back to the car and made my last stop for the day.

* * *

I stood outside the apartment door after I knocked for about a minute before it opened. Liz tried to shut the door as soon as she saw me but I was a hell of a lot stronger than she was, when I pushed my way into the apartment, she ran behind the couch and grabbed a lamp of all things. _Seriously out of all things to grab you grab a fucking lamp?_ Tallon trailed behind me growling at Liz, he was terrifying when he was like this, it made him look even more wolf like.

"Hi Liz," she threw the lamp at me but I easily dodged it, "you need to work on your aim."

She ran into the kitchen, "stay the hell away from me!"

I casually strolled to the counter that separated the living room and the kitchen and leaned on it with my elbows. "That's just rude Liz, I only stopped by for a little chat." She grabbed a knife from the knife block, _really Liz,_ "put that down before you hurt yourself."

Her demeanor instantly changed from attack to submission, "look Scar, I'm really sorry, the police, they came up to me, I couldn't be associated with you. You understand that right? I have a family, I couldn't...I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry...please don't hurt me." She put her knife down by her side and backed up into the sink.

I walked around to the other side of the counter and pressed my back into the edge, "yeah, no I completely understand. The thing is though, you could have simply said that you had no affiliation with me, but that's not what you did. _She's completely insane, I didn't want to die, unstable, I was threatened practically on a daily basis._ Granted I did threaten you, I admit that, but most of the time I was joking, well sometimes, a majority of the time, but that's beside the point. Your little confession caused them to take me to Arkham, now Liz, that place was worse than a thousand Blackgates, and you got me locked up there."

"You put yourself there Scar, everything that you've ever done, I only told them what happened."

_I would watch what you say Liz,_ "the fact remains that I told you that if you ever told anyone about me, there would be consequences. I'm not very lenient when it comes to shit like this Liz."

She was beyond terrified at this point, "please, please Scar, I'm sorry , I'm so sorry, I never meant for anything bad to happen to you…"

"Don't lie to me Liz."

"Alright, I admit I wanted you gone, but I didn't know that they were going to send you to Arkham, you have to believe me…"

"I don't have to believe anything you say."

She dropped the knife to the ground, _do you really think that will make anything better for you?_ "No of course not, please Scar, what can I do to make it right, I'll do anything, just tell me what you need. I don't want to die, Scar, please."

I rolled my eyes at her pleading, _don't be stereotypical Liz,_ "Oh Liz, darling, light of my life. I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna bash your brains in." With that I picked up the bat that she kept beside her door and made my way towards her. She immediately began to panic before I put a finger to my lips to get her to quiet down. "Now, let's find out if I'm kidding or not, shall we?"

* * *

_Alright let's just check that everything is in order, all money transferred from bank account, check. Lease on apartment, finished, job, lost, and car, totalled._

Tallon and I were on the crappy bed that the motel provided watching Supernatural on Netflix, while I was working on my laptop, a hellhound was on the screen growling, and Tallon was growling right back. "Oh calm down, you're scarier than any hellhound out there." I kissed the top of his head and hopped of the bed to grab a bottle of water from my bag. Just as I was unscrewing the cap off, there was a knock at the door, Tallon started growling with his ears pressed to his head. It couldn't be one of the maids it was too late for that and I always kept the 'do not disturb' sign on the door. _Obviously someone I know, or someone that knows me._

I placed the bottle on the table and grabbed my handgun beside it before walking to the door, when I looked out the peephole there was no one there, I cracked the door and looked out, I saw someone with a black hoodie on walking to a car. I looked down and saw a box wrapped in green tissue paper with a purple bow on top.

_Well if this doesn't scream Joker I don't know what does._ Tallon came over to sniff at the box before I picked it up and brought it in to put it on the bed. There was a note placed underneath the bow.

_Dear Doll,_

_I'm very proud of the use of your new found freedom. To celebrate our escape, join me for a night out on the town tomorrow at seven._

_Love J xxx_


	9. A Date With the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can Scar have a bit of normality? We shall see, see you all at the end, happy reading!

"Alright boy I'll be back in a little bit, you just stay put and keep quiet...ok?" I knew that he wouldn't answer me but I couldn't leave him without a goodbye, I had gone so long without him that I didn't want to let him out of my sight. _God you sound like a mom Scar._

I was going out for a while to look for something to wear for my "date" with J, _should I even call it a date? A meeting between friends maybe, girls night out?_ I really thought that I would never have to see him again, hell I was planning to leave in a week anyway. I will admit that I am curious about the way he is outside of the asylum, is he as terrifying as the stories? Is his club the jewel of Gotham as everyone says it is? Did he really blow up the post office just because he didn't get his face on a stamp? I admit that I have been curious about him ever since I moved to Gotham. I knew coming in to Gotham that it had its reputation of being home to quite a few super criminals but apparently Joker was the worst of the worst, I'm not ashamed to admit that I did a fair bit of research on him when I got settled.

His debut was anything but small, and if I remember correctly he blew up the Gotham State Fair, it was the only thing that was talked about on the news for two weeks. At first they thought that it was a terrorist attack but then a clip played on the six o'clock news introducing himself as the Joker. I won't lie, I laughed at the jokes he cracked on television and cringed at his brutality.

I started to walk out the door and Tallon trailed behind me, "no boy, I've missed you too but you're gonna have to stay here." I kneeled down and grabbed his head and pressed a few kisses to his forehead. I received a lick on the cheek in return. "I love you buddy, now sit and stay, I'll be back later." He whimpered and looked at me with his head cocked to the side and his ears flattened to his head. "Don't look at me like that boy...I'll get you a treat while I'm out."

When I reached behind me to grab the doorknob, Phantom jumped up so his paws rested on my shoulders, it was his way of giving me a hug. I wrapped my arms around his body and gave him one final hug, "alright...now I really have to go buddy." I grabbed his paws and set him back down on the ground and practically ran out the door before he could lure me back in with his puppy dog eyes.

There was a store downtown that I planned on looking for an outfit in, it was one train ride away so I didn't bother to re-hotwire the car that I had previously used, _not tonight anyway._

I had been to this particular store in the past a couple of times whenever I would finish a job. Nate and I would usually go out to celebrate and I would ocasionally have to get an outfit for the high end restuarant that he in mind. _I really am gonna miss him._

"Excuse me miss, if you don't plan on buying something I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I was looking through a rack of dresses, I had been at the store for over an hour trying to find something that didn't look like modern art had thrown up all over it. However I understand why she would think that I was just passing the time in here, at the moment I looked like I had just crawled out of bed, my hair was in a half-assed bun, and my clothes consisted of black leggings and a hoodie that was two sizes too big. I had an excuse for my appearance though, my get together with J wasn't for another six hours, so I had plenty of time to make myself look presentable.

"Well I do plan on buying something but you know rushing me sure isn't helping me make my decision any faster."

She looked at me as though she had done nothing wrong, the epitome of innocence with malic hidden underneath, _look lady I know retail sucks ass but don't be a bitch just because this store is on higher pedestal. "_ In that case miss, just let me know if you need any assistance."

"Oh I will thanks," my voice was more sugar coated than a Willy Wonka chocolate bar. She turned and walked away from me as fast as she could. Once she was out of sight I resumed my search, I had found one or two that were decent, but I wanted something more than just decent. _Why am I worrying so much over an outfit, sure I always try to look decent when I go out but I shouldn't be putting this much effort into one night._

I pushed aside a hideous orange sleeveless dress with perhaps a bit too much force, I was getting frustrated with myself. Usually I never stay out this long shopping because I really was not that complicated of a person, but I just couldn't find the right thing. Yet I shouldn't be worrying about it being the right fucking thing.

As cliche as it sounds I finally found the right one, it was black, typical I know but you can never go wrong with a black dress. It was cut to mid thigh with long sleeves that had rips in them all the way to the shoulder. It looked so edgy and badass, it was practically love at first sight, I figured that my pair of floral lace tights and my black boots that were back at my old apartment would make the perfect outfit. _That reminds me I really need to ask Nate if he can get my valuables out of there, the less I go there the better._ I grabbed my size off of the rack and made my way to the fitting rooms.

When I got a room and locked the door I quickly stripped off my oversized hoodie and leggings. Looking in the full length mirror I could see that the scars that weren't that deep to begin with were now barely noticeable, most of my bruises were completely gone and the bags beneath my eyes could be easily covered up with makeup now. One thing that I did notice was the slight uneveness in my hair, _oh well not everything can be perfect Harley, it won't throw me off too bad to go and get a quick trim anyway._ I slipped the dress over my head, it took a little bit of time with the arms because of the holes in the sleeves.

_Hot damn momma, I look good,_ the dress showed off my full hips and it wasn't too short to where the cheeks of my ass could be seen. I would need to wear a better bra than the one I have on right now, the girls weren't getting any help in this thing. _Who would have thought it would only take a little over an hour to find the right dress._ Carefully extracting the dress from my body, I finally looked at the price tag, I didn't want it to sway my decision in the beginning which is why I never looked, it was too pretty to be judged on price.

_Jesus H. Christ these people must be out of their Goddamn minds $569!_

It's not like I wasn't going to buy it I had plenty of money and I loved it to death, but that price was unbelievably ridiculous. I slung my bag over my shoulder and opened the door but immediately closed it, there were two cops outside at the checkout. _Shit, shit, shit!_ Well there was no way in hell I was leaving without this dress, I quickly scanned the dress for a security tag and found one on the inside.

I ruffled through my purse and found my lighter and pocket knife, no I don't smoke but you never know when you might be in need of a flame. I ran the fire over the tip of the tag until a small flame stayed on it's own, I let it burn for a few seconds before blowing it out. I cut where the fire had been until the top popped off, I grabbed the bottom part and threw them both at the corner. Ripping the price tag off I threw it into the corner as well.

I shoved the the dress into my bag, _I can just iron it when I stop by my apartment._ I grabbed my gun out of my bag and stuffed it in the back of my pants just in case one decided to stop my hair up into a neater bun I shoved my overly large sunglasses on top of my head and calmly walked past the cops who were too busy flirting with the cashier to notice anything. _Seriously how many dumb asses are getting through the police academy this day and age?_ I pushed my glasses down to cover my eyes once I reached the door.

_Well what better time to go get a haircut then now?_

I couldn't go to the person who usually does my hair now that she probably knew that I was a criminal. It's a shame though she always did such an amazing job, I remember that there was a place a couple of blocks down from this store so there shouldn't be any harm in going there, _nobody pays that much attention to the news anyway_.

When I walked into the shop there was one elderly man and a little girl with her mother, _is it too much to ask that no one recognize me?_ I made my way to the desk and one of the stylists came over to help me.

"What can I do for you today?" _Well obviously I need a haircut._

"I just need a trim." She gave me a forced smile that had probably been drilled in by numerous employee etiquette classes.

"It'll just be about five more minutes and then I'll be here to help you." _I can live with five minutes._ I went to sit down in one of the cheap leather chairs. When I went to reach for my phone out of habit I remembered that I couldn't use it, I had taken out the sim card and the battery. _Shit! That's great, just another thing that I need to get._

Instead I grabbed my Ipod out of my bag and stuck one of the earbuds in my ear, I hit shuffle a few times untila decent tune came on, regardless of being a pit picky right now, I let it be. The single strand of dog hair on my jeans was astoundingly interesting due to lack of amusement in the quiet place. It's a bit strange, most hairstylists that I knew would be talking up a storm to their customer, these ladies were unusually silent. I saw one of them lean down to whisper into the old man's ear at one point, _why the hell would she need to be so secretive?_

In the distance I could hear the sound of police sirens, _Arkham must have really drained my reading abilities this past month._ The employees all dropped their styling tools and made a dash for the door, as did the few customers. I pulled my gun out of the back of my jeans before anyone could run out the door. "Alright...who called the fucking police, oh sorry forgot there was a kid…who called the freaking police?" The mom held her daughter to her chest. The rest were all silent with their hands held up in surrender, "I know somebody did it, so just let me know who and then I'll go."

One of the employees with a blonde bob and terrified expression pointed her finger at her co-worker, "it was Julie!" _Well damn she was quick to sell out her friend._

"You bitch!" Julie looked extremely pissed off at the other girl, I pointed the gun at Julie and gestured for her to come forward with it.

When she was close enough I turned her around by the shoulder so that she faced the others and I pressed the gun to her temple. "The rest of you can go, just let the SWAT team know that I have her…" they wouldn't move at first, "go!"

They all scrambled out of the door, I pushed the gun against Julie's head a little bit harder, "be a dear and take me to the back door please." I dropped the gun from her head and pressed it to her back instead. She walked as quickly as she could and I kept up, we reached a door that led into an alleyway. Once I made sure that it was free of police I slammed the gun down onto the back of her head and she flopped to the ground.

I threw my hood over my head and ran to the ladder on the side of a building opposite to the shop that led to the upper levels. After a few minutes of climbing I reached the top of the structure, the gaps that separated the building were short enough to jump across which is exactly what I did. I jumped across maybe six or seven buildings before climbing back down into an empty alleyway.

_Jesus Christ I just can't catch a break today,_ I decided to just stop by Walmart on my way back to get a temporary phone, I was officially done with the cops in this city.

* * *

I was once again pounced on when I walked through the motel door, Phantom just laid on top of me with a smug look on his face, _this is what you get for leaving me,_ is what his face spoke of. "Were you a good boy? Huh...were you a good boy?" I asked while he contented himself with being pampered by belly rubs. I placed a kiss on the side of his face before standing up.

_Shit! I knew I forgot something,_ I forgot to grab him something to eat while I was out. I checked out the time on the alarm clock on the bedside table. I still had four and a half hours before I had to be ready, I went into the bathroom and put a stopper in the sink and grabbed the water bottle that I had in my bag and poured it in. I whistled at Phantom and patted the counter so he knew that there was water in the sink. After he finished off the water I grabbed his leash beside the tv and attached it to his collar.

"Alright boy let's go on a quick trip." I quickly ran out the door so that no one would notice that I had a dog when they weren't allowed. We stopped at McDonalds and I grabbed a few burgers for him and a large fry for me. Once he ate and used the bathroom we made our way back to the motel.

I quickly set up the phone that I had gotten it was pretty much the same as the one I had last time so I could just slip my sim card in. My special tech made it so that nothing could ever be traced back to me or this phone. Scrolling through my contacts I clicked on Nates number and put it on speaker hoping that he would pick up.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey Nate it's me."

"Yeah I figured, what's going on? Everything ok?"

I'm one of those people that have to wander when talking to someone so I was currently pacing around the small room. "Yeah, no everything's fine. I just have a somewhat big favor to ask of you."

"Well I'm not doing anything so what do you need?"

"My hero…"

"I know." I'll admit I laughed at his input.

"Well right now I don't think it's a good idea for me to go back to my apartment, if I sent you over a list do you think you could get a couple things for me? I couldn't grab everything I wanted to the other night."

There was a brief pause before he spoke again, "you got the cops on your ass didn't you?"

"I needed a haircut really badly?"

"Jesus Scar! Really!?"

"It was an accident, I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to even know me!"

I could hear him let out a sigh on the other end, "Scar you don't understand that your face was plastered all over Gotham when you first got arrested. Anything dealing with Batman is big news and not only that you've got the people that you fucked over putting bounties on your head now. Gotham and its underbelly knows you now Scar, you've gotta be more careful." _No comment._

"So will you do this for me Nate?"

"Of course I will you idiot, where are you staying right now?"

"Funny thing an idiot calling another by its name. I'm staying at that seedy Motel Six over on Irving, do you know it?" I know he at least had to have passed it a couple times.

"Isn't that practically a roach motel?"

"Don't say shit like that, it's just until the end of the week anyway."

"Alright, whatever, send over the list and I'll see ya soon."

"See ya soon." And on that note I could start getting ready. I quickly typed out my list and sent it over to Nate which got a reply of _'what you got a hot date?'_ I didn't want to tell him where I was actually going tonight so I just responded with _'ha I fucking wish XP.'_

_Nice response you fucking idiot._

* * *

Currently I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub shaving my legs with one towel on top of my head and the other around my body. Tallon was laying on the tile next to me taking a nap, he jerked in his sleep causing me to nick the skin next to my knee. _Dammit Tallon, you're lucky I can't blame you for my stupidity._ I wiped away the blood before continuing on, _look at me shaving as though I'll get lucky tonight. No, no, no, you are not allowed to think about sex tonight, that's not what tonight is about, my brain really needs to shut the hell up, bad, bad thoughts are entering. Yet it's really funny, I didn't even know what tonight was about in all honesty._

I heard a ping come from my phone while I was on my left leg, patting my hand dry I grabbed my phone from the counter and saw a message from Nate. ' _Which room?'_ I typed him back the room number and hurried to finish up the rest of my leg.

Once I was done I rinsed off any extra shaving cream and slipped on my underwear after drying off. There was a knock at the door and Tallon started growling but I quickly shushed him and went to let Nate in. He gave me a quick once over, I couldn't really blame him considering I was in just my underwear.

"You sure you don't have a hot date, I mean you shaved your legs. I don't even think you did that for me."

I grabbed the bag that he had over his shoulder so I could set it on the counter. "Ha ha very funny, I just have a few things to get squared away tonight and I had to be presentable." _Not the whole truth but still somewhat true._ Nate was playing with Tallon while I searched through making sure he got everything including the small box holding bad memories, _they already have my katana, I don't need anything else from the League following me._ I grabbed one of the emergency cash stashes that Nate brought back for me and turned around holding it out out for him to take, "here you go Nate. I really do appreciate everything you've done for me, there's about ten grand here, give or take. You can buy yourself something nice with it."

He took the cash with a smile, "you know you don't have to pay me right?"

"Yeah but I'm gonna do it anyway so just take it, I've got plenty." I didn't know what to do when he brought me in for hug, it had been a while since I last hugged someone. He reached down to grab my arms so that they wrapped around his waist. _This feels nice, I need hugs more often._ Nate didn't even let his hands wander, they just tightened around me, but it felt amazing. "I really am gonna miss you Nate."

"You won't miss me if you keep in touch Scar," _you know I can't do that._ He looked down at me and me up at him, I'm pretty sure that he leaned in for this kiss first but I had no problem reciprocating. I didn't remember the last time we kissed that well considering we were both drunk but I do remember him being a good kisser which was luckily still true. His hands cupped my face and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting me go. "I'm gonna miss you too Scar, stay safe." With that being said he left and I knew it deep down that, that would be the last time I would see him. I won't lie, it made sad, but I quickly shook it off and headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

* * *

I rubbed some lotion over the freshly shaven skin and across my arms as well. I didn't feel like putting on the dress just yet, so I guess that I was going to be applying my makeup in my underwear. My makeup was fairly simple just foundation, contour, eyebrows, and mascara. I didn't put any lipstick on just some lip balm for two reasons. One my lips were extremely dry, _I guess Arkham didn't care enough about chapped lips,_ and two most of my lipstick colors were red, and that really didn't need any more explanation.

I took the towel off of my bed and gave my hair another quick run through so that I could run my fingers through the damp waves, I grabbed my split end serum and leave in conditioner to run through the ends of my hair once I was finished brushing it out.

Tallon woke up from his nap and laid his head in my lap while I sat on the bed painting my toes. _Why am I even doing this, I'm wearing boots for Christ sake, no one will even see my toes._

I had Spotify playing in the background on my laptop while I was letting the polish dry. I flopped down on the bed, Tallon still rested on my thighs. "Do you think this is a smart idea boy?"

No response.

"Sure the guy isn't bad to look at, a bit pale if nothing else, but he's the Joker. The man is certifiably insane, but he could have killed me anytime he wanted to at the asylum, he didn't though."

No response.

"But just think about it, how many people get an invite to the king's castle from the king himself? Of course no sane person would want to be anywhere near him, but at the same time no one ever said I was sane. I'm telling you boy that place screwed with my brain. If I had any sanity left you and I would have left by now. Oh that reminds me, where do you want to go?"

No response.

"We could always go to Canada, I doubt anyone would look for us there. I don't know though people might accidentally mistake you for a wolf up there, same for Alaska. Maybe Ireland, go back to your roots, that could be nice. England or Paris would be good too, not in the city though, maybe somewhere out in the country. I have enough for us to live a good life boy, I just don't know if I would be content to stay at home, I love my job, I'm damn good at it too. I don't know right now, but we'll figure it out, I promise."

No response.

I patted his head before sitting up, "good talk boy." He raised himself off of my thighs so I could finish getting ready, I grabbed my dress that I had hanging in the closet. I laid it across the back of the chair before going to my suitcase to grab the black lace tights that Nate brought for me. I slipped them on over my legs, careful not to rip the lace, they had been pretty sturdy so far but I would rather not have today be the day that they decide to up and rip.

My dress was put on in the most ungraceful manner possible, I had to keep the material away from my face as best as I could. Once everything was in order I slipped my feet into my ankle high boots. I placed my feet on top of the desk so I could lace them up. When I was back on my two feet I adjusted the dress back to its original state.

I stood where I was that way I could look through the opened bathroom door and into the mirror, _nice, very nice._ Looking over at the clock I saw that I had around one and a half hours left, _how much does J care about punctuality? He looks like the kind of guy that was always late to pick up dates, probably always late to class as well._

My hair was now mostly dry so I went ahead and plugged in my straightener, I grabbed my brush to run it through my hair again while I switched over to my movie soundtrack playlist on Spotify.

Flipping my brush in my hand I decided that it was now karaoke time, I slowly walked over to Tallon. "I feel her breath on my face, her body close to me, can't look in her eyes, she's out of my league. Just a fool to believe I am anything she needs, she's like the wind." I ran my hand down the side of his face and he just looked at me like I was insane, "you better enjoy my serenade boy, it won't happen all the time."

I went back to using my brush for it's intended purposes once I heard my straightener beep, signaling that it was at it's set temperature. I continued to lip sync the words while I sectioned off my hair and sprayed it with heat protectant. I decided to incorporate a few waves into my hair, they would be very subtle so I wouldn't like a doll with too tight curls. The process took me around forty-five minutes not including the pauses for song changes that I took.

When I was done I had almost a half hour until J was supposed to come pick me up, I went ahead and brushed my teeth and reapplied my chap stick. Now I was just patiently waiting, well I was waiting and feeding Phantom bits of an extra hamburger that I got for him from McDonald's.

Once I went to browse for a bit on the internet I heard a pounding on the door.

I closed my laptop and went to open the door, I had to take a deep breath before turning the knob, _why the hell am I so nervous, wait, no, no I'm not nervous, I don't get nervous. Nervous is not in my vocabulary._ I turned the knob but it wasn't J that was standing there, _did I really expect anything else though, like the king of Gotham would pick someone up from a dingy motel._ Instead it was a big beefy man with a buzz cut and scar across his jaw. _Who the hell are you working for, the president of the United States?_

"I'm here to collect you for the boss." _Collect?_

"You may want to pick a different choice of words before I decide to let you go home empty handed."

He let out a huff of annoyance before responding, "I'm here to pick you up to escort you to the Joker."

I gave him a sickly sweet smile, "much better muscle man, just give me one minute." I turned away from him to grab my motel key, phone, gun and over the shoulder bag. Phantom was sitting by the desk growling at the secret service man, I pet the top of his head before kissing it. Not wanting a repeat of this morning I just said be good boy and left. When I turned around after locking the door Joker's goon was already walking towards a very stylish car, I didn't know the model, but I didn't need to know that to know that it must have cost a pretty penny.

He opened the door for me, "aww such a gentlemen," he responded with a low grunt, _damn with a boss named Joker you would think his goons would have a better sense of humor._ Hopping into the back seat I waited for him to take me to wherever it was that we were going. _Five bucks says it's his club._

Once the goon got in the front seat and took off to God knows where I decided to strike up a conversation. "So how long have you been working for the Joker?" I didn't feel that it would be appropriate to call J by his nickname, might make his henchman think he's gone soft. He didn't answer back though, _must be the silent and brooding type._

"You do know that if I don't receive an answer I will just annoy the hell out of you right?" Still no responce, "if you're not going to answer than can you at least turn on the radio?" Nothing, "you've left me no choice, are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we…" He slammed down on the power button for the radio and some rock station came on playing a Three Days Grace song. "Much appreciated," I cringed at my own self for having a southern tone come out on that phrase.

He let out a low growl of annoyance, I was content in the backseat, it even had seat warmers so I was nice and toasty. I figured that I would leave the man be for the rest of the ride, which only lasted about ten maybe fifteen minutes, and what do you know, our destination was Fun House.

I could hear the music blaring from the three story building, at the front entrance there was a line that ended somewhere near the end of the building on the other side of the club. _Do people know who owns this club or do they just not care?_ Mr Silence got out of the driver's seat and came to open the door for me, "follow me," he said once he helped me out of the car.

_Okay then, if you were going for cryptic you have definitely achieved that level._ "Lead the way mon capitaine." Instead of going through the front door like I originally thought that we would he led me to the alley on the side of the club and to a back door. I was surprised that there weren't any people trying to get into the club this way.

Sir Grumpy, _I really need to figure out his name at some point,_ Sir Grumpy held open the door after pulling out a key from the inside of jacket pocket. "This way," _he must be an expert at two sentence conversations._ I walked through the door and the music got even louder, I could hear the whooping from the crowd in the other room. I felt a hand at my elbow that brought me to a staircase, I gripped the railing while we made our way to the third floor.

He opened the door at the the top of the staircase and gestured for me to go inside, "last door on the right." I just nodded my head considering I had no words at this moment. The nerves that had laid dormant were now present in abundance. _Get a grip you idiot, he is just a guy, correction psychopathic killer, but still a guy. You won't even see him again by the end of the week, you'll be out of Gotham away from all of this shit and he won't even matter than. It's just one night that you have to get through, one night, that's it._

I took deep breaths the entire length of the hallway, once I reached the door I raised my hand but stopped myself, _am I supposed to knock, or just open the door? Would he get pissed if I just barged in, would he be even more pissed if I made him come answer the door? I am feeling very conflicted right now, maybe I should just go home. Would I be signing my death certificate if I were to leave. Jesus Christ just open the damn door you idiot!_

The decision was made for me when the door swung open and I was greeted by an impeccably dresses green haired maniac.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes doll."


	10. Some Just Want to Use You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of us want to see Scar enjoy her date night even though you know it's probably not gonna happen? See ya at the end, happy reading!

" _Well aren't you just a sight for sore eyes doll."_

_How the hell did he get hotter outside of the asylum? Shit, shit, shit what do I say, do I just look seductive, do I give a flirtatious wink? What do I do? Come on Scar just say something, anything, you're starting to look like an idiot. Say something!_

"You don't look so bad yourself J." _Ugh really, the most cliche line in history Scarlett._ It was true however, he was dressed in a white button up that was unbuttoned all the way down to his slacks with a black jacket that was left to hang open. His chest was on display for all to see but I was the only one who had the chance to admire it at the time, _wait no, not admiring_. His hands were adorned with multiple rings and a gold watch was on his right wrist. The famous green hair that I had the chance of running my hands through a while back was styled with gel, I think, it might be hairspray.

Safe to say that he looked impeccable, I could feel my heart pounding along to the music that came through the walls, _don't be such an idiot Scar, no one should ever be this stupid besides you've faced worse than this man. You could kill him in an instant if you wanted to, but do I really want to?_ "I didn't think that I would be seeing you again." _Oh yeah definitely, instead go for sounding like some cheesy rom-com._

He gave me a grin, _I didn't think that it would be nice to actually see that look again, this look though, not the murder you and feed you to puppies look. Maybe I'm just messed up because he's the only one I talked too for almost three months, well him and Harley. Stop thinking about Harley you idiot!_

"How could I stay away?" He held the door open wider and gestured for me to come in. The room was, extravagant, to say the least, loveseats, chairs, and tables all looked to be worth over a million dollars. Colors varied from gold, black, purple, and green, _surprise, surprise._

The wall that I faced when I walked in was made completely out of glass, _it's probably a one-way mirror type of thing_ , J didn't seem like the type to want people to be able to see something he didn't want seen. It overlooked the crowd of people that were grinding, drinking, and fighting down below. The lights flashed at times and the multiple colors cast a bright glow over the attendants, yet at the same time they were still shrouded in darkness.

"The place is nice, you know it's the first time I've ever been here." _I can make small talk, I'm good at small talk, it's just like it was back at the asylum, those conversations were easy. I can do this._

"Now that's just tragic," I could hear him walk up behind me, he leaned his face down beside mine. I could feel his lips brush against the shell of my ear, "I'll just have to make it memorable for you then doll."

I suppressed a shiver, _memorable, that can be interpreted in many ways, you'll have to be more specific J. Frankly I don't do well when the cryptic messages are aimed towards me._ I turned my head to look back at him, "and just how do you plan to do that J?"

He grabbed my chin between his thumb and forefinger, his smile could be described as smoldering, "well...first, first we are going to have a drink, and after that...we'll just have to wing it doll." _Yeah sounds good, great, I can 'wing' it._

"I've been 'winging' it my whole life J." I received an echoing laugh, walls must also be soundproof, considering that nobody paid attention down below. Or maybe the music was just too loud, he ran his finger along the length of my chin before turning and walking towards the bar that was built into the side of wall. The liquor that it contained was of the highest quality imaginable.

He walked behind the counter and gestured to the shelves on the bottles, "pick your poison darling." _Darling? That's new, why do I like it? Maybe it's because of southern memories._

"I'll have a rum and coke if you don't mind." He narrowed his eyes at me and gave me a look of curiosity, at least I think that it was curiosity, it could be mistaken for disgust. "What?"

"No frilly froo-froo drink, nothing with a ridiculous name, or cavity inducing qualities?" _Really J?_

"What do you think that just because I'm a women I want a sex on the beach?" _Dumbass, out of all the drinks in the world you choose the one with the word sex in it. It could have been worse, I could have said a blowjob._ For that remark I received a smirk while I sat in one of the bar stools.

"Well if that's really what you want doll…" _did, did, he just send a wink my way?_ He opened up a mini fridge underneath the bar and grabbed a coke. Then he reached behind him and grabbed a tumbler and a bottle of Captain Morgan. He poured well over a shot of whiskey and filled the rest of the glass with coke, _I believe someone is trying to get me drunk,_ he slid the drink over to me once he was done.

"Thank you very much, and what are you having J?" He held up a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a shot.

Picking up the drink he held it out above the bar for me to clink together with mine, "a toast."

I cocked my head to the side, "what are we toasting?"

His voice lowered considerably, "our freedom." _Oh I will definitely toast to that, I wasn't made for a cell and straight jacket._

"Cheers," I clinked my glass to his and took a sip, "thanks again for that J. I would have probably still been stuck there if it wasn't for you." He tossed his shot back and placed it on the counter top down, once his hands were free he ran his fingers through his hair. _That's obviously a nervous habit considering his hair is already slicked back with gel, what the hell does he have to be nervous about?_ "You should be pretty proud at that, I don't say thank you that often and actually mean it." I gave him a small smile so he knew that I was joking, even though I wasn't.

"Think nothing of it doll...your idea was nothing short of, uh, what's the word that I'm looking for… ah yes, visionary." He held out his hand in what could almost be interpreted as spirit fingers. _Such a flair for the theatrics._

I took another sip from my glass and gave a small shrug of my shoulders. "Flattery will only get you so far J." _Even though it's well deserved._ He raised his non existent eyebrows at me and walked around the bar to stand beside me. I swiveled in the stool to look at him.

"I do believe that I've heard those words before...have I really not moved an inch with my compliments?" I set my drink down on the counter, his hands came up to hold my cheeks in his palms. His thumbs ran along my jaw, while the tips of fingers grazed my hair line while pushing fly aways from my face. _This is not the Joker that I've heard about._ Then his grip tightened and my head was tilted even farther back so I was looking up at him. _Ah there he is._ His hands were grasping the back of my head now.

"You won't move at all if you keep holding me like this." My eyes pierced his until his head moved to lean in near my ear. I could feel a shiver run up my back while his breath blew in my ear. _I will not let him see, I will not let him see._ His fingernails dug into my scalp, but not harsh to the point of pain. I felt him press a kiss close to the outer shell of my ear, _as amazing as that feels he better not have gotten lipstick on my ear. Oh lord does it feel amazing though._

"How about now doll, hmmm...am I moving any now," his words were punctuated by kiss after kiss. _This needs to stop right now. Not what I came here for, it's a nice added touch but not what I came here for._ I raised my foot and placed the sole against his thigh so I could push him away. His hands let go of my head and reluctantly stepped away.

"Maybe a little bit." I gave him what I hoped was a seductive smirk, it probably wasn't, while I grabbed my drink to take a sip from it. He slipped off his jacket and laid it across the bar then rolled up his sleeves, _good lord, he has about a million tattoos meanwhile I only have one._ "Why did you invite me out here J?" _Yes Scarlett you truly are a genius, just ask without any forewarning, I'm sure that'll go over great._

He sent a grin my way, "I missed those pretty eyes and smart mouth." _Aww shucks, you're gonna make me blush._

"I'm calling bullshit on that J, there are plenty of pretty eyes in Gotham."

"Yeah, true, true, but...none of those eyes glow when the lighting at Arkham hits them just right."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, "yeah that's true, probably because most of those people have never been put inside Arkham. I'll still accept that compliment regardless of the insincerity."

He came to stand in front of me again, his hands cupped my cheeks again and I let him. "Oh, no, no, no...doll I don't do insincerity." His thumbs pressed against the skin under my eyes, gently I'll add. "These eyes right here...these eyes kept me sane for these past few months." A giggle escaped my lips at that comment, _oh no come on I don't giggle dammit,_ he quietly shushed me. "Look...look there they go again with that damned shining."

I wouldn't have minded in that moment if he kissed me, I would have let him and I would have gladly reciprocated. Not because of the sappy, if I can call it that, things that he was saying, I just wanted him to kiss me. As strange as that is, I just wanted to be kissed by this man. _What the hell is wrong with me?!_

My train of self loathing was interrupted by the pressure being lifted away from face. J's hands dropped to his sides as he stepped away to pour himself another drink. _Should I be offended, or pissed off at myself that I don't have the balls to make a move?_ I didn't stare at him for obvious reasons of not wanting to come off as an obsessive weirdo, so I just took a sip of my own drink with my eyes downcast. Once he finished with whatever concoction he was making he came back around the bar and paused in front of me holding out his hand. I placed my palm in his and pulled myself off of my stool to follow, but not before grabbing my own drink.

He led me over to one of the many couches that he had, once he flopped down I went to sit next to him but he had other plans. The hand that he still held was tugged until the force caused me to land in his lap.

"Oh Mister Joker, you know I'm not one of those girls. I couldn't possibly be caught in such a position." My voice was layered on with a fake southern belle accent and bits of sarcasm tossed around.

My attempt at humor recieved a deep, throaty laugh from him while his eyes made languid glances at my exposed legs and thigh, since the dress had ridden up, _eyes up soldier_. "Trust me doll, I could never mistake you for anything less than a lady of high quality." _Fight sarcasm with sarcasm why don't you._

I placed my drink on the glass table that was in front of us and turned back to face J. _Well if this is where I'm gonna sit I might as well make myself comfortable,_ I wriggled my lap into a more comfortable position, threw both of my legs over his other knee and tossed my arm around the back of his neck, my other hand rested on the opposite shoulder and my fingers curled into the fabric of his dress shirt. _Oh yes this is definitely a comfy spot._

He let out a low grunt while his eyes closed and his head tilted back. When they opened up again his pupils were dilated to the point where only a sliver of blue could be seen. Both of his hands tightened on the part of my body that they rested on. The hand that laid on my thigh moved almost unnoticeably along the exposed part of my body, yet it moved so slowly that if I were in deep conversation I would have never even known that it took liberties.

His eyes never left mine and I couldn't even think of taking my own away, _what is it about the men you should never want?_ These eyes, despite being sleep deprived and surrounded by scars were still a beautiful shade of blue, the baby blues that anyone would gush about. _Would it really be that bad to deny myself a bit of fun before I leave? No doubt that's all he's looking for anyway._

"What are you playing at J?" That question broke him out of whatever little state he went into.

A growl reverberated in his throat and I could feel the vibrations through my hand that rested on his chest. "I didn't realise that dinner invitations were a part of a game Scar."

I cocked my head to the side, causing all of my hair to sweep to the one side. "It's a game when I don't know what the fuck you want."

The hand that was on my waist moved up to grasp the back of my neck, and a large part of my hair. In retaliation my nails curled into the flesh of his neck as a warning that I would gladly wrap my hand around his throat if he even attempted to do anything. He brought my forehead down to rest against his, I could feel the hot air that ghosted across my lips. His fingers lost the roughness that they held a moment ago, if anything else they felt almost like a massage against the base of my scalp.

"I'm all for a little, uh fun doll, especially, and I mean especially if that fun involves you, but don't mistake my grand gestures of kindness and friendship…" _oh the sarcasm is strong with this one,_ "for acts of insincerity. You're making me seem like the villain here doll, all I want is nice evening with my new...hmm friend." _Sure make me seem like a bitch for not understanding what it is that you want._ His lips pressed a quick kiss to my nose.

"Dammit J...you know women actually spend time on makeup for a reason, you can't just go and ruin it because of your desire to wear rouge." I gently wiped at the lipstick that I could feel on my nose. He just laughed at my distress and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. _I never got fully acquainted with that part of his anatomy, stupid brain shut the hell up._

I leaned over to pick up my drink but it was just a sip away from being gone, "I'm just gonna go get a refill." I extracted myself from his grip to stand and he stood with me as well, he downed the rest of his drink that he picked up while I walked over to the bar to fix a mixed drink. "So what have you been doing these past couple days?"

He turned away from me and walked towards the glass wall to look down on his "subjects". Resting his elbow on the wall his head turned back to me, "oh, you know...reclaiming my throne, causing a bit of mischief, a bit of mayhem, a little murder here and there. My empire was knocked down a couple pegs Scar...those fuckers need to know who rules over Gotham." _So intense._

His eyes got a bit darker, out of anger and frustration no doubt. _Shit, I better calm him down before he explodes, if I can calm him down. Who am I to say that I have the magic ability to put the Joker on simmer?_ I stood from my chair and walked over to the wall to stand beside him, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned on my right shoulder so that I faced him.

"You know they don't call you the King of Gotham for nothing right?" _Yes Scarlett just go right ahead and enlarge his ego even more, there really will be no harm in that._ "It seems to me that you've been doing pretty well these past few days."

He moved closer to me while running his palm along the glass, "you, you, you are...you are exactly what I've been looking for doll." _Hold up...what?!_

_Whatever the hell he just said is not okay, definitely not okay. What the fuck does he even mean by that? He sure as hell isn't the relationship type of person, and I'm sure as hell not a play toy. What do I say to that? Come on brain he probably didn't even mean in that way, he probably just meant the exact type of friend that he has been looking for. No that sounds stupid, but then again this is J, it could be meant exactly that way. Alright, just stop thinking, ask him what he means, clarify things before you give yourself a heart attack._

Deep breath. "What do you mean by that?" _Please explain._

He was standing in front of me with barely an inch of separation. "I've been looking for a partner in crime...well I say looking, I wasn't really, but how convenient of you to just fall in my lap...or better yet cell." He laughed at his own joke, _it really wasn't even that funny._

Relief and a slight bit of disappointment ran through me, _there is nothing wrong with feeling disappointment though. Every woman wants to be wanted, I firmly believe that to be true and I was no exception, J just wants to share in the fun. I should be glad he didn't want more, I mean for God's sake I'm making plans to leave._

"As sweet as that offer is J, I'm going to have to say no." I started walking back to the bar to grab the drink that I desperately needed at this moment. I had only taken a few steps when he wrapped his hand around my elbow, stopping me in my tracks.

He had murder in his eyes, _baby boy must not be told no very often._ "And why is that doll?"


	11. Some Just Want to Get Used By You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 here we go! Happy Reading!

" _And why is that doll?"_

I glanced from the hand that held me to the eyes that scolded my own, "let go of my arm J."

"Answer the question Scar." His voice lowered to a growl, _a fucking growl_! At that I ripped my arm away from him.

"I don't think I have to answer anything." The eyes that were staring at me were the craziest I had ever seen till this point. This was the side of the Joker that no one ever wished to see, the side that showed just how unstable this man actually was. How the hell does he go from declaring partnership to looking as though he would strangle me at any moment? _I kind of regret not looking at that file the other day when I had the chance, at least then I would have known what I was walking into._ "I said no, so you can either accept that or the next time you touch me you can get a broken arm. Your choice."

_Maybe, just maybe, now would be a good time to leave._ He looked away from me for a moment while running his fingers through the hair that he had mussed up, it now matched the crazy eyes he sported. "What the fuck do you want J?!"

"I don't think you could handle what I want from you doll." _Oh hardy har har J, double entendres are so funny._

"Alright that's enough, I'm sick of this bullshit J. Tell me why you invited me over, because it sure as hell wasn't for a drink, so tell me cause my foot is about two seconds away from breaking a few ribs ." _Were threats really necessary? It was kind of badass and idiotic at the same time, but I just seem to dig deeper holes for myself every time I open my mouth around him._

"Now I might, just might be wrong but I am fairly fucking sure we already went over this, and I'm really not one for repeating myself, gets a bit boring." _Oooh, so scary, big bad Joker making threats._ I took a few deliberate steps towards him, the heels of my boots made a dull thud on the floor.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not asking for a repeat isn't it? Look I just want to know what you're playing at, I can smell an ulterior motive from a mile away…"

"Oh really, tell me, what does that smell like." _Rude J...just fucking rude._

"Oh fuck off J…" _I'll admit, bad word choice,_ "my point being, you want something. Now wether that's sex or whatever type of 'favor' you want for busting me out of Arkham you better tell me right now. Because I'm expecting to leave Arkham without owing any debts." _I could have lived my life without bringing up the topic of sex to him. I swear most of the time my brain has no filter._

That predatory smirk returned to his face while he closed the distance between us. "So you admit you owe me something huh?" _Of course that's all he heard, at least he didn't acknowledge the little "fuck off" quip._

I placed my hand against the center of his chest and pushed to put some space between us. "For the record I don't owe you anything, half of the idea was mine after all. You just had the means to implement it." His right hand came up from his side to cover mine that was on his chest, his fingers curled around the outer edge of my palm so that I wouldn't pull away. There was a brief moment of silence between us. At that point I took notice of a few things, however unimportant they seemed to be. I realized how hard my heart was beating within my chest, I could make out what song was blasting through the speakers below, and I could feel the steady thumping of his heart beneath my fingertips.

He let out a huff of annoyance, "I'll admit doll, there is something that you can do for me." His free hand rose towards my chin, but before he could touch me I grabbed his wrist.

"And on that note, I'm leaving." I ripped the hand that he held towards his chest away and took a few steps back. His hand shot and grabbed my elbow, my hand clenched into a fist out of reflex, I raised it in warning.

He released his grip and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, his smirk however showed the amusement he found in my actions. "Feisty, feisty, feisty Scar ...hmm, when I spoke of favors I uh didn't mean in that way. Unless you want to of course…" I narrowed my eyes at him, _bad thing about it though is that I wouldn't mind actually, God you fucking idiot_ "alright, alright, I just need one teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy favor doll. Not too much to ask in my opinion."

_Our opinions might differ on that subject._ Anger boiled inside of me at his confession, before I could even think about the consequences of a very bad decision my hand raised up and slapped his tattooed cheek. "Fuck you J! If you needed a job done you could have said so in the beginning. You know what, do your own goddamn job J, because I sure as hell don't need my name anywhere near yours."

His right hand briefly rubbed the cheek that I slapped before it came and grabbed my chin, not gently I might add. My hand came up to clasp at his wrist, and with the other hand I dug my fingernails into his neck, "Get your fucking hands off of me J!"

He brought his face level with mine, "don't act like you don't enjoy. Every. Single. Minute. Of. This." His words were punctuated with pauses and slight pressure applied at the fingertips. Pressure that I retaliated.

_I'll admit that I always have had a slight anger problem, but I've noticed that around J my fuse just seems to be getting shorter and shorter._ I brought my foot up and swiftly brought the heel of my boot down onto his knee causing him to wince and his knee to bend. This allowed me to grasp his shoulder and bring him down to the ground. His arms landed on the sides of his head while I straddled his abdomen, the hand that had been around his wrist I now had wrapped around his throat as he done mine.

Do you know what this asshole did? He just laid there laughing like there was no tomorrow, _this is really putting a damper on how badass I usually feel._ "There were easier ways to get me on my back doll." His words came out raspy from being spoken through laughter. _You know I could have sworn that I looked pretty intimidating right now._ My hair fell around my face in waves, my eyes were narrowed from the level of anger that J had pushed me to and my chest was heaving from the breath I was taking in an attempt to calm myself.

"Oh fuck you!"

He just smirked at my remark. In a split second he sat up causing me to slide off of his stomach and onto his lap, my hand was still curled around his throat but the close proximity made my elbow bend. His hands were wrapped around the sides of my waist, the grip was on par with mine on his throat. _No, no, no I'm not doing this shit anymore, he used me, he toyed with me. I'm not putting up with this, not with him, not with anyone._

Before I made the move to push him away and stand his lips were pressed aggressively against mine. His mouth moved over mine with force, it was like the first time, and it still felt just as good. I started to move with him, using the same enthusiasm that he showed. His lips were still as soft as I remembered, not that I thought about his lips that often. He pulled away slightly to nibble at the flesh of my bottom lip before pressing small, quick kisses fully against my mouth. His mouth ran across the skin of my cheek before reaching my ear to apply the best of pressure against the flesh right below my ear.

I couldn't control the small gasp that flew out of my mouth when he pressed rough kisses all along my throat and collarbone, _dammit my own body doesn't even want to listen to me._ My hands were clutching at the hair at the nape of his neck, I would run them into the thicker part of his hair at the top before running them back down. The bright neon strands were now sticking up at odd angles from the leftover gel that he had applied. One of his hands cupped the back of my neck and gave harsh and gentle squeezes, then I felt the harsh bite of his teeth on the skin near the top of my dress.

_Oh holy shit! Nope, nada, no._ I pushed myself off the ground by rolling back onto the soles of my feet and standing on somewhat shaking legs. When I rubbed my lips together I could feel the leftover lipstick glide on my lips, _son of a bitch, if there is plenty of lipstick there, there is no telling how much he got everywhere else._ J just sat on the floor with his legs out in front of him, his hair sticking up in every direction, _dear God I wanna laugh so hard, he looks like a freaking child._ He even had the small pout to match. "Alright...so uhm, I'm, I'm just gonna disregard all of...that," I made a small gesture with my hand towards him, "now uhm, don't get up, just...tell me where the bathroom is and then you can tell me what favor you think you deserve. After that I'll decide what I, yes I want to do about it." _Good for you Scar._

The initial shock on J's face left and it was replaced with the same smile that started everything. "Door by the bar doll."

I just nodded my head at him and turned, I walked normally, the shaking in my legs finally subsiding, the only thing was my pace was a bit rushed. I could hear his terrifying laugh echo behind me, it just made me want to turn back around and punch him, but I restrained myself.

Once I walked into the bathroom I turned the lights on and noticed the familiar color scheme, and he kept a clean bathroom which was a plus. When I looked into the mirror I saw a work of modern day art, not that I myself was the art, I mean in reference to the million lipstick stains and smeared red lines that appeared from my nose down. _That's it I'm going to kill him!?_ My lips were a bright red and swollen, I could see the beginning of a bruise forming where he bit down on the skin. Along with everything else my hair was a complete mess, instead of the waves that I started with I was now stuck with a frizzy mess.

At the moment I didn't give a damn about common decency so I started looking through every cabinet and drawer in the room until I found some rags under the sink. Surprisingly there wasn't anything unusual in this bathroom, probably because this wasn't where he actually lived. There's no telling what's in his home bathroom, I shudder to think about it. I ran the rag under the faucet after I turned the water to warm. Once it was saturated I scrubbed every inch of my face, sans eyes, and all the way down my neck. I would do a more thorough cleaning when I was home, if I made it home. There really could be no way of knowing with J.

Once my face was red from the scrubbing and every trace of red lipstick was gone I threw the rag down onto the sink, it landed with a plop. My hands pressed onto either side of the counter to support my weight as I took a few calming breaths. When I looked into the mirror I still saw the same frizzy hair, my eye make-up still remained but the foundation was completely gone. _What the hell am I doing?_

"You are not this girl Scar. You are going to go out there, see what he has to say, tell him to go fuck himself, then leave Gotham as soon as possible. You are not going to be stuck here." _Sad thing is he is probably out there laughing his ass off._

I attempted to tame my hair as best as I could before going back out there but it was near impossible. When I exited the room I saw J behind the bar drinking a glass of God knows what. His hair was once again combed back to perfection, _bastard,_ and his mouth was lifted in a content smirk. I resolved to not let his carefree attitude get to me, I wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.

I walked to the barstool directly in front of him and sat down, "so what the hell did you expect me to do for you?" _Why is it that I can never word my phrases correctly?_

He took another sip from his drink before replying, "many things doll."

"Be serious right now J…"

"Have you met me Scar, I'm the epitome of seriousness." He flashed me a wide smile, _yes J you are so, so funny._

"Just tell me what this "favor" is that you wanted J, I'm not in the mood for this bullshit anymore." _Yes Scarlett good for you, don't take anymore of this crap._

He downed the rest of his drink in one swallow then slammed it on the table. "Okay, okay...no need for the hostility doll. I'll admit that once I found out who you were, I thought...well lucky, lucky me. Then as I got to know you…"

"Knock it off J!"

"Alright, there was something that I had planned before I got locked up by Bats, surprisingly he hasn't paid a visit yet, anyway I just had no one in mind for the task. You are quite legendary in the criminal world, did you know that?" I shook my head, _no, no that's impossible, no one knew who I was before I got locked up._ "Oh we didn't know your name of course, Falcone just let the word out to be wary of a thief." _Bet he's glad to know who stole from him now._ "We just laughed at him, he didn't know who the hell stole from him, he wanted our help, we told him to go fuck himself. Now he already has a bounty on your head, it's a big shocker no one's gotten you yet actually doll. Anyway down to business, since your skills are so legendary there are a few files that I need you to retrieve for me from Maroni. These files are very, very, very important to me doll, you can understand why I need them don't you."

_Actually I don't,_ "so just let me understand, you went to all this trouble for what? A few files, you know, on the off day I do occasionally accept requests, but just for all the shit that you pulled let me sweetly decline. So I'm just gonna go ahead and head back home." I stood from the chair and his palms slammed on top of the bar.

"What do you mean by the shit that I've pulled!?" _Oh someone's a bit angry._

"You know exactly what I mean J, all the unnecessary flirting, the constant touching, hell even the kissing. I'm not saying I ever expected a relationship J, but I sure as hell don't enjoy being toyed with."

It's almost as if his entire face rolled with annoyance. "Oh come on doll it was fun! Don't deny it you had fun, I had to make sure that your cooperation was a guarantee."

My hand ran through my hair in frustration, _how stupid can you be?_ "You honestly think that by sleeping with you, you would have my full cooperation. What the fuck is wrong with you!? I decide what jobs I take, no one is involved in those decisions. That's it, you know what get someone else to retrieve your fucking files, just... leave me alone from now on Joker, have a good rest of your life your highness."

I turned from him with a mock bow and began to walk to the door, one hundred percent aware of any form of movement or noise that he might make that would signal an attack. He made no such attempt.

"Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious of the reward?" _Damn you to hell J._

I looked at him over my shoulder, "what reward?" _No damn me and my curiosity._

His smile widened, "how does twenty million dollars?" _That sounds nice, it sounds very nice._

My jaw dropped at the amount, the prospect of giving up this life and never worrying about anything again overshadowed the stupidity of acceptance. Once my mind was set my jaw clenched, "send me the details through either phone or email, I'm changing both so you have to figure out what they are, shouldn't be too hard for you. If you want it done you better send it before the week is out."

He mock saluted me, "you got it doll. Frosty will give you a ride back home, he's outside waiting." I resumed my original trek to the door, before he spoke again, "see ya soon doll."

"Yeah, whatever." When I reached the door Sir Grumpy was standing outside just like J said he would, _oh wait his name is Frosty now._ "Take me home snowman." He gave a grunt of annoyance at the nickname and started walking down the hallway with me trailing behind him. After walking down the flights of stairs and out the door to the familiar car he opened the door once again and slammed it shut when I hopped in.

It was another silent car ride, except this time I didn't try to make conversation. I rested my head against the window and looked at the lights of Gotham as they passed by, the occasional sirens put a bit of a damper on the silence but that was to be expected in this city. I can truly say that I will miss this place when I leave, it's been my home for three years, it's been a decent home too.

We got back to the hotel and he opened the door without a word, "thanks Frosty." No response, just a scowl. He was already gone by the time I made my way to the room door, when I opened the door Tallon didn't attack me like he usually does, instead he was laying on the bed, taking up the space and silently judging me. "What no love for me boy?" I went over to the bed and flopped down beside him, he laid his head on my stomach as usual. I pet his head pressing his ears down repeatedly as I started to make shapes out of the patterned ceiling.

"I'm an idiot boy. A huge fucking idiot."


	12. There Isn't Always an Answer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big things are happening in the chapter...happy reading!

_**24 Hours Later** _

_Hey Bruce, it's Scarlett...well you were right about me getting out, I bet you weren't expecting it to be so soon after you visited though huh? I had some help of course, I know you know about that, believe me there is definitely some part of me that regrets accepting his help, but, but I mean it when I say that it was all I had at the moment. Anyways that's not why I'm calling… look you, you said to come find you when I was ready to use my second chance, and I'm so close to getting it. I just need a little bit of help, and believe me when I say that I hate asking for help but I, I really need it. If your invitation still stands...just, please give me a call back at this number, it's secure so you don't have to worry. Ok, bye. I suck at voicemails sorry._

* * *

_**Now** _

"Look I'm just gonna go ahead and say it…" I waited for her to speak with a look of 'go on'. "You are absolutely fucking insane, I mean seriously what the fuck Scar? You're telling me that you meant to leave Gotham almost two and a half months ago but you still haven't because of waiting on that wanker to give you your assignment. Why haven't you left that shit hole left?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know B, I honestly have no fucking clue. Maybe I just love to torture myself."

She laughed on her end of the video chat, "alright, alright you smart ass, keep your reasons. Look I'm just saying that if you had come to me when you first got out you wouldn't be in this situation. I could have helped you out if you really wanted to leave the country that badly. Hell if you had come to me we could have been on a beach right sipping martinis but no, did it even cross your mind to call me?"

I walked away from the computer to fill up my cup with tea from the fridge, "I'm sure at some point it did, but I dug myself in too deep before I could really do anything. Everything happened way too quickly when I got out of Arkham and that sure as hell is not my fault."

"Alright honest question, have you fucked him yet Scar? Also it's totally fine if you have, I am most definitely not judging you." _I honestly doubt that my life would be any easier if I had B._

Sitting back down I saw her fixing herself her own cup of tea, hot of course. "If it eases your mind at all the answer is no, I also have no intention of sleeping with him, not after the shit that he pulled, also he's just fucking psychotic."

"Woah, whoa wait a minute. So if he hadn't dragged you through all that shit you would have maybe considered fucking him? Completely disregarding the fact that he is the Joker? Killer clown of the criminal underbelly? Ringing any bells in that head of yours? I mean after all you did stay across from him for a short time."

I couldn't help but smile at her comments, well only parts of them, I got a bit distracted by Tallon coming to sit next to me at the desk. "Oh, no, nope, no bells are being rung, can you send a picture of him to me, that might honestly help." She flipped me off while putting the finishing touches on her drink. "To answer your question though, that is not what I meant. This whole situation is just really fucked right now cause I owe him for breaking me out of Arkham and I really don't want to be on his debt list right now. I just need to do this job and then everything will work out like it's supposed to." _Yup just keep telling yourself that Scar, everything will work out, even though he hasn't told you shit about the job and the only time he contacts you is when he wants your 'company'. I'm sure if we keep this up he'll just be more than happy to let us keep refusing him._

"Alright first of all, you really don't owe him shit considering he didn't ask for anything to start with. Based on what you're telling me you put yourself in his debt, and I can tell you why you did it. You find him interesting and you want to know more...don't deny it, you know I'm right. Look it's alright, it's completely understandable but you have got to get out of this Scar. If he hasn't given you info about this job by the end of the week then you call me and we will get you the fuck out of there, okay?" _You have no right to be this right all the time._ "Okay Scar?!"

I held up my hands in surrender, "alright, alright, you're right. I'm not gonna lie and say your aren't, this whole situation just stresses me out and it really fucking sucks."

She held her mug up to her lips, "hey look I totally get it. Well I don't get it exactly cause I'm not in your situation but trust me when I say that everything's gonna be fine darling." _Ugh how can she make it seem like the world is shitting out millions of rainbows?_ "Now, what I want you to do is take a deep breath get off the line with me and get your shit together. I'll send you a simple job while you're waiting, keep you busy for a bit, help you make some quick money. Sound good?"

Nodding I let out a soft 'yes', _I really don't think I ever thanked Nate for introducing us, I probably should._ "Alright I'll talk to you later B, stay safe."

"Same to you luv." With a quick wave goodbye we both signed off and I closed the lid of my laptop.

I looked down beside me and saw Tallon looking up at me with happy eyes, _at least one of us is happy boy,_ "how does Chinese sound?"

* * *

" _Leta…Leta...Leta…"_

" _Please...please just leave me alone Ra's. You're not real, you're dead you, you, you're gone, you're gone."_

" _Shhh Leta, let me in. We can do great things you and I. Watch this city burn as we rise from the ashes."_

" _Leave me alone. Leave me alone! I don't want this, not this, not anymore."_

" _Don't lie to yourself Leta, don't go back to a world that didn't want you."_

" _This is my world, it's the only one I have."_

" _You had us Leta, you had a home, a family, a chance, you're only chance."_

" _No, no...you were not my only chance."_

" _Time will take away chances as will your choices...let me in Leta."_

" _No…"_

" _Let me in…"_

" _Go away!"_

" _Leta…"_

" _LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

When I woke up it was like the world was rushing back into my body in one second. I couldn't breathe or even comprehend what I swear I had heard. Tallon walked up to me from his position at the end of the bed, he knew that I needed comfort in this moment and the tears that fell unwanted only made him come closer. I hugged him as close to myself as I possibly could while I waited for my breathing to even out.

"We have to get out of here boy."

* * *

"This is Vicki Vale reporting to you live from the Ace Chemicals building where a massive break in and fire has just been reported. As of right now all evidence and claims point to this being the work of none other than the Joker, we can not say for certain if this was the work of Gotham's own chaotic clown or an imposter but we will have more information as the story investigation continues. As you can see the Joker's signature calling cards have been crudely painted on the building behind me…"

I hit the mute button on the remote as quickly as I could, "are you fucking kidding me!? The bastard has time to break into the fucking Ace Chemicals building but he doesn't have the time to give me the details about his precious files! God dammit I am such fucking idiot! That's it, that is fucking it, I am booking a flight and getting the fuck out of here." _Jesus Scar this is beyond sad. Are you more annoyed at the fact that he's forgotten about you or that you're missing out on twenty million?_

Brushing aside my internal questions I leapt off the couch that Tallon and I had been lounging on and made my way over to the desk that housed my laptop. I booted it up as quickly as I could and saw that the tab that I had opened for my email had a notification icon within it. I clicked the tab open and saw that I had an unread message, however, there was no email sender attached to it.

_**Unknown Sender** _

_**No Subject:** _

_**Scarlett, I would have thought that you would have come to me by now. You know where I am, I couldn't risk the possibility of contacting you. If you're able to meet I am available tonight. I'm glad that you are rethinking your decisions.** _

_**See you soon,** _

_**B.W.** _

_Jesus Bruce I could have used this email two months ago._ I looked at the time which read 6:49 then looked over at Tallon, "you wanna go for a ride boy?" He wagged his tail enthusiastically before dashing over to me. Looking back at the email I saw that it was gone, _seems like Wayne has some self destructing emails, neat,_ I grabbed Tallon's leash and my keys, and yes the car was, or technically is stolen. It's surprisingly easy to hijack a car in Gotham considering the auto theft rates are incredibly high.

After hooking Tallon's leash onto his collar we made our way out of the low end apartment complex that we had been hiding out in ever since I hacked into their database. I really didn't think that I was going to be stuck here for over two months to start with. Once Tallon and I reached the car I made my way out of the complex as soon as I could. Traffic in Gotham was terrible as always, _times like these when I really miss my bike, I would have made it to Wayne Manor in half the time that this is taking._ I headed south of Miagani Island and arrived in roughly forty five minutes.

It was weird to arrive at Wayne Manor like a normal guest when every other time I had to sneak around like a criminal, which I was, well am technically. When I pulled up to the huge ass gate I had to press the intercom button that also had video. I heard a loud beep before a video image popped up on the screen. I recognized the man as the butler that I knocked unconscious in our previous meeting, _oh fuck please don't remember me._ "Hi my name's…"

"Ms Korin I presume." _Oh shit he looks pissed he definitely knows who I am._

"Uh yes, yes sir, I was supposed…"

"Master Wayne is expecting you, please drive forward and park in one of our many spots thank you." The video feed cut off immediately after that. _I can't even be mad at that treatment considering I completely deserved it._

I did exactly as he said and made my way to the front door with Tallon in tow. Before I could even ring the doorbell the butler opened it with a frown that just made me feel dissapointment in myself. "We were not expecting you to bring your dog along with you...nevertheless please do come in, Master Wayne shall be down shortly to meet with you." I entered and he closed the door behind me with a resounding THUD. "Now if you will follow me to the foyer," he gestured for me to follow with his arm outstretched. _Do they teach this shit in butler academy?_

I decided to finally speak up, he was pretty intimidating for an old man, but by the looks of him I would probably guess that he had been a soldier at some point in his life. _He reminds me a bit of Charlotte's late husband._ "Hey, look I just wanna say that, uh, that I'm really sorry about the whole breaking and entering fiasco. You know how it is though, a girls gotta eat, right?" I finished my sentence with a soft chuckle that had no heart in it whatsoever. _Jesus Christ Scar you're a fucking idiot with bad jokes, in what world did you think that, that would be funny?!_

"No apologies necessary Ms Korin, if I do remember correctly you did eat that night didn't you? The sandwich that I made to be precise, correct?" He looked at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

I couldn't look away fast enough, "I'd rather not answer sir."

"Just as well, please make yourself comfortable, Master Wayne shall be with you shortly." I went to sit in one of the many, many chairs with Tallon trailing behind me. I had to stop him from hopping up onto the chair with me, there was no telling how expensive the furniture is. _Fuck what the hell am I even gonna say to him when I see him, does he speak first, do I? Which type of scenario is this. Do I joke with him, do I get straight to the point, Jesus fuck this should not be this hard._

I heard footsteps echoing down the hallway which made me quick to stand. Tallon growled when he saw Bruce step through the seperating door. "Well hi there...Tallon right?"

"Yeah, I think he still holds some residual anger from your last encounter." _Huh, funny Scar, pretty funny._

Bruce gave a small smile, "well I can't say that I blame him. I can have Alfred take him out to the backyard for a while so we can chat if that's okay with you." _Well on one hand Tallon hasn't had a decent run in ages, on the other hand can I really trust the butler that hates me with my dog?_ "I can promise you that Alfred won't hurt him, besides his grudge is with you."

I did laugh a little at that, "I said I'm sorry I don't really know what else I can do."

"Maybe make him another sandwich."

"Funny Bruce very funny." He then called in Alfred and asked him to take Tallon out, to which he responded with 'yes sir', but which I think really meant 'do I even have a choice Master Bruce?'

Once I handed the leash over to Alfred my boy was immediately reluctant to leave me so I had to shoo him off to get him to quiet down. I turned to Bruce who gestured for me to follow, "walk with me Scar." _Well that definitely wasn't a question._ "Tell me, how have you been these past few months?" _Like you don't know you smug bastard._

I shrugged "well I can definitely say that I've been better...sorry burning question, why did you wait so long to respond back?

We turned a corner, "correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure that my email stated why."

Another corner, "that email was bullshit! You said, and I quote, that you 'couldn't risk the possibility of contacting me.' Yet you contacted me regardless, so you could have said something two months ago when I left you a voicemail for crying out loud."

One more corner, "you were supposed to come to me Scarlett. I told you this when I paid you a visit in Arkham."

We entered an absolutely incredible library, _still doesn't hold a candle to Belle's._ "You've got to be fucking kidding me right?"

He just shook his head no and walked over to the grand piano stationed in the corner and plucked out a few notes. A bookcase beside the piano slid back and into the floor revealing what looked to be like an elevator. _No way, absolutely no way._

"I don't want this to sound like I'm coming on to you or anything but, are you about to show me your secret lair Mr Wayne?" He did laugh at that comment.

"You'll just have to trust me for a bit Scarlett." _Trust, really? Trust Bruce Wayne or Batman?_

He escorted me into the elevator and pressed the second to last button on the panel to his right. The silence was really thick and punctuated by creaks of metal, I really hated it. "Do you show all the girls this on the first date?"

His hands were clasped behind his back, "you can continue to think that you're special if you want." _Aww how sweet._

We arrived at our destination when the elevator came to a stop and the door opened behind us and when I turned I was greeted with a tunnel and a light at the end of it. He gestured for me to take the first step, as we walked down the tunnel something scanned both of us and made a noise that sounded like approval. We reached the end and I swear I saw the holy grail of Batman before me and everything was surrounded by ancient rock structures. _Wait a minute._

I turned to look at Wayne, "wow instead of a man cave you really made a fucking bat cave Bruce?"

He chuckled, "I'm glad you get the joke."

I started to walk down the steps taking in everything around me, "how many people know about you?"

"Only a few."

"Why are you showing me this? I already know who you are but this is unnecessary."

"You said you wanted a second chance Scarlett." As he said this I passed by a glass that contained a near black outfit with a few hints of red peaking through and yellow words spray painted on top.

_HaHa Jokes on you Batman_

"Joker?" I questioned while pointing at the case.

"Do you remember the news?"

I sucked in a breath, "I remember hearing about him being found but nothing else about it was released. I'm guessing you had something to do with that though." _Is this what he wanted? Is this what he meant by a second chance?_ "I can give you Joker if that's what you want Bruce but won't stop him, you never do. You throw him away only for him to crawl back to his throne. This was what, his third time in Arkham?"

He walked past me towards a row of computers, "I'm not the law Scarlett."

"Yeah, well you sure like to take it into your own hands."

"As opposed to breaking it?"

I let out a small laugh, "low blow Bruce, low blow." _Ask him about the second chance now Scar._ "When you came to pay me a visit in Arkham you didn't know who I really was or what I knew, but you said to come to you for a second chance Bruce. What did you mean by that?"

He fired up the computer and input a short password. "What did you think I meant by that Scarlett?"

I threw up my hands in frustration, "Jesus I don't fucking know Bruce! To be honest I don't even know why I'm here, every second I'm waiting for you to hit me over the head and ship me back off to the asylum. Just quit fucking around with me Bruce and tell me what you meant!"

The computer in front of him lit up with my mugshot taken at Arkham. "Sarala Elizabeta Lane, known alias Scarlett Korin, born June 29, 1990 in New Orleans. Parents Janine and Micheal Lane. Graduated from Destrehan High School at age eighteen, left home for Gotham, joined the League of Shadows at age nineteen, left when twenty-two, headed back to Gotham were she then became Scarlett Korin." He stopped and stayed silent for a good minute while I went through a scenario of myself murdering the man in front of me. "I want to give you a second chance Sarala…"

"Don't call me that!"

"Scarlett...I want to give you a second chance. The League trained you to be a killer but you can do better I know you can. I want to help you."

I held up a hand to stop him, "are you trying to dress me up in tights and become the next boy wonder Bruce? Is that what this is about?"

He shrugged, "more or less."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?! You really see me out there prowling the streets in a mask looking for the scum that scour the streets?"

He shrugged _once again,_ "it's not as if you don't have the training for it."

_What sort of high quality shit is this man on and where the fuck can I get some?_ "Bruce...as pure as your intentions may be, that can't happen."

Leaning against his desk he waved a hand as if to say go on, "and why is that?"

_You're starting to piss me off now,_ "because I'm trying to get the fuck out of Gotham! I'm in way too deep with this city and I don't get to have a life here anymore! I'm supposed to be leaving next week for fucks sake!"

"You don't really want to leave though do you?"

"It's not about what I want anymore Bruce, I want to live, and I can't do that here anymore."

He raised his hands in defeat, "this city could use an extra pair of eyes watching over her."

_Hahahahah,_ "this city's gonna burn down one day, and on that day not even Batman and his allies will be able to save her. Excuse me for not wanting to be here for that." _Out of all the propositions that could have been offered today this was one I was not expecting._

He pushed away from his desk and started to make his way back towards the elevator, "I'm sorry you feel that way Scarlett, the offer still stands, even when you leave."

I followed him into the elevator, "forgive me for thinking that you haven't considered this offer as well as you think you have. After all you did mention it within ten minutes of knowing me." That made him smile when he pushed the top button.

"Not all split second decisions are hasty Scar." _Wow I feel so enlightened now oh holy Batman._

I shook my head at him while we stepped off the elevator, the secret bookcase returning to its original state behind us. The trip back to main entrance seemed longer and even quieter than the last. Alfred was waiting for us at the front door with Tallon, who looked tired but happy to see me. He handed me the leash after I reached down to pet my boy.

"Did you have a pleasant visit Ms Korin?" _I wouldn't exactly call it pleasant but okay._

"Yes, very much, thank you for watching Tallon for me Alfred."

"My pleasure Miss," _yeah right._

I looked over at Bruce who held the door open for me instead of his Butler, "let me walk you to your car." _It's not really my car but you don't need to know that._

"Thanks," we made our way to my car and he opened the door for me after I had unlocked it. Once Tallon and I were situated I looked back at Bruce, "thanks again for the...eventful visit. I sure as hell won't forget it anytime soon."

He smiled down at me, "just keep all of your options open Scar," he pulled a small device out of his pocket and handed to me. It looked a bit like a pager, only more high tech, "you can reach me on this, I'm sure you can figure out how it works. Have a nice day Scar." With that he shut my door and stood back, waiting for me to leave his driveway, _well I've never been one to loiter have I?_

I whipped out of the driveway as quickly as I could and right as I passed through the gate my phone began to ring. _It must be Bruce, did I forget something?_ I pressed the answer button and the saying goes that when life wants to hit you, it's going to hit in quick angry punches.

"Hello doll, sorry for the wait but I have some files that are just itching to have your pretty little hand steal them away."


	13. Am I a Conductor for Madness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go! Happy reading!

**_“Hello doll, sorry for the wait but I have some files that are just itching to have your pretty little hands steal them away.”_ **

* * *

_ “You never could say no to a challenge Leta, no matter how unwanted it is.”  _

_ “Get out of my head Ra’s.” _

_ “It’s best not to forget what I’ve taught you Leta, now more than ever.” _

_ “You and your teachings can go to hell Ra’s!” _

_ “You’ve burned me before Leta. Would you condemn me to burn again?”  _

_ “Just leave me alone…” _

_ “Beg me Leta.” _

_ “No…” _

_ “Beg for me to leave you be Leta.” _

_ “No!” _

_ “Beg because you know only I can set you free Leta!” _

“NO!”

Ever since I got out of Arkham the nightmares of Ra’s were becoming more and more frequent but this one made Tallon leap off of the bed and away from me. I took heavy lungfuls of air, waiting for my heart and mind to return back to earth. A few small tears escaped out of the corner of my eye and down the sides of my cheeks before I wiped them away. After realizing that I wasn’t the immediate threat Tallon came back to my side but I couldn’t bring myself to give him affection. I threw the covers away from my sweat soaked form before curling away from my window overlooking the glowing city lights and falling back asleep for hopefully the last time tonight.

_ I’ll deal with my messes tomorrow. _

* * *

There were a few emails waiting for me when I woke up the next day. One, a lengthy response from the Riddler that I immediately deleted, the others were from Joker. The first was a bunch of links to videos, and after I played the first one I refused to play the rest, the other was an invitation to meet him at the club tonight. I couldn’t ignore either of them but I sure as hell didn’t want to see him again. Even though I knew that I would have to go so I could discuss the details of the plan with him. 

_ Dear Doll _

_ Quick follow up to my last email, hope you enjoyed the videos,  _

_ I have a guest that would be delighted to see you at the club tonight.  _

_ B _ _ e prompt. 10:30. _

_ J  _

The only question that I can think of now is  _ who the fuck is J’s guest?  _ It could be a potential business partner but knowing, well not really knowing J, I couldn’t imagine it would be anything like that. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person to help a girl make connections in the world.  _ Hell he doesn’t seem like the type of person that could keep connections in this world if he tried. I’ve always thought he prefers to work alone anyway.  _

I can’t help but think in the back of my mind how much I just want to pack up and leave without ever emailing him back but I know I won’t, so I sent off a reply.

_ Dear J, _

_ I look forward to meeting you and your special guest tonight,  _

_ so long as it doesn’t end in death and destruction.  _

_ That’s not too much to ask of you is it? _

_ D _ _ on’t bother sending a car, just let me in when I get there.  _

_ I’ll see you at 10:30 tonight. Sharp. _

_ Scar _

Checking the time at the bottom corner of my laptop I saw that it was going on 5:30 already. I looked over at Tallon, “well I guess I better go ahead and get ready huh?” No response, just big eyes begging for food, which I gave before I hopped in the shower. I took my sweet time washing the day away, contemplated for a brief moment if I should shave my legs but then just decided to wear pants instead. Once I was done I went into the closet that was partially unpacked in case of emergencies. My brain felt a bit like it was on autopilot tonight, I didn’t agonize over my decisions or the impacts that they would have.  _ Maybe it’s the lack of sleep...or maybe it’s the fact the glamour and mystery of this fucking nuissance has finally worn off.  _ Who’s to say really?

I eventually decided on my dress pants and suit top, no undershirt, just a bralette. I remembered the Joker's little night club being a decent temperature in the private section but you can never be too careful. I was having hints of nervousness at the idea of who the Joker's guest could be but I told myself that there’s absolutely no sense in worrying over it at the moment. With as much as I’ve worried these past few years it amazes me that I don’t have a full head of grey hair.

Walking over to the curtains to block out Gotham’s creepers I took notice of my set of knives and hand guns that were stashed away in my bag in the corner of my room. The last time I visited J I was less cautious and only brought one gun to our meeting.  _ I don’t think I want to take the chance, his radio silence is too suspicious.  _ I quickly stripped back down to my underwear and buckled into the multiple body straps before putting the numerous weapons into their proper holsters. 

Talon was sitting next to me with his head cocked, questioning my every move with his sweet eyes. I grabbed his face between my hands, “do you think mamma’s being a bit too paranoid buddy? She can’t be too careful ya know, there are bad, bad men after mommy, she’s gotta keep you safe doesn’t she?” No response. “That’s right she does, yes she does!” I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before standing. It was already 9:48 and I would have to leave now to avoid late night Gotham traffic. 

“All right boy I gotta head out, I don’t know what time I’ll be back, hell even if I’ll be back. If I don’t come back tonight Nate will come and check on you ok?” Still no response but I know he knows. I grabbed my bag, tablet, phone and keys before heading to the door. “Hold down the fort buddy okay...no wild parties.” 

Once I stepped out of the flat and locked it I placed the spare key on top of the door frame, kind of obvious but Tallon would attack anyone that’s not Nate. Speaking of which, I need to shoot a quick text to him. I whipped out my phone as I made my way to the complex’s elevator. 

_ Hey Nate I know it’s last minute...dangerous assignment, you know the drill. If I don’t check in by four in the morning will you please come and look after Tallon. If I don’t check in by the end of the day, then, you know what happened. I’m sorry it’s so last minute Nate, please? _

I hit send and received a response as soon as I sat inside my car.

_ Of course Scar. Stay safe.  _

Nate really is too good for this world, too good for Gotham at least.

_ No promises, key is on top of the doorframe. Thanks again Nate. _

Once I sent that last text I put the car in reverse and removed my heels to drive then made my way to Joker’s club. Of course considering the time and day Gotham was insanely busy and made traffic a living hell. I should have just taken the subway but I knew that it would have left too many chances of being seen. All it takes is one asshole with a hero complex that watches the news too much. Knowing my luck I would be the face that they remember. What was supposed to have been a ten to fifteen minute drive through the bright lights of downtown Gotham ended up being forty-five instead, the time was 10:18, not too early or late so no harm done I suppose. 

I ended up parking the car near an apartment complex two blocks away, if everything goes okay then I shouldn’t be gone long enough to get a ticket. Before getting out of the car I slipped my heels back on adding three more inches to my height. Shoving my keys into my pants pockets I began to make my way towards the club. About a block down from where I parked I could already see the line outside of the building forming.  _ These people must love the thrill of danger, especially if they’re not oblivious to the man who owns this club.  _

I did my best to navigate my way towards the entrance that Frosty had taken me through the last time. It would have been nice to have the escort again tonight instead of looking like an absolute fool but I had to make sure that I had my car tonight just in case. When I finally found the entrance door I sighed in relief and went to open it but it wouldn’t budge. 

“Really J? I ask for one thing…” I tried knocking on the door a few more times until a couple minutes passed and still no response. “Jesus fuck! Is this asshole really going to make me call him?” I let another minute pass until the time was past 10:30.  _ Fuck _

I pulled out my phone and pressed the dial button on my most recent contact. It rang a couple times before that God forsaken voice answered with a relaxed ‘hello?’

“J, it’s me...did you forget that I was supposed to be let in?”

“Oh gosh is that the time already? I’m awful sorry doll. I must have forgotten all about you.”  _ Asshole. _

“It’s no problem J, can you please just tell the snowman to come let me in?” 

“Who?”

“Oh shit, uhm Frosty?” He let out a quick laugh at the nickname that I gave him.

“Sure thing doll...Frosty! Go let our lovely guest in would you?” I heard the snowman respond with a resounding ‘yes' boss’. Then, faintly I could hear a voice next to Joker, female, whisper to him, ‘is she really here puddin?’  _ Puddin? Who the fuck is that?  _ “She sure is baby girl.”  _ I’m hanging up now. Baby girl?! _

“Thanks,” I quickly hit the end call button before running through everything that I just heard.  _ He called her baby girl, did Joker get a girlfriend for the weekend? I mean good for him, maybe he’ll leave me the fuck alone this visit. But no, she knew me, she said ‘is she here’, I don’t recognize her voice though. I can’t even remember the last time I stole from a woman. Is Joker leading me into a trap? Fuck, should I leave? No! It’s twenty million dollars Scar, there is no way we are giving this up right? Then again it’s no good if I’m fucking dead now is it?  _

Before I could contemplate the possibility of running away anymore the door swung open and Frosty was standing there with an expectant look on his face. He gestured for me to enter and I did. “Good too see you again snowman.”

He let out a gruff, short laugh “you as well ma'am.”  _ Eww that just doesn’t sound right at all…should I ask him if I’m walking into a trap? No he definitely wouldn’t answer me truthfully. _

I walked to the top of the staircase just like before and It’s almost as if the past and present mixed together as I was taking those steps. The nervousness, the sounds of the crowd beside me, the nausea…all if it blended together in this moment. When I reached the door from before Frosty stopped beside me and turned the knob before telling me to enter, he followed in behind before taking a security guard stance beside the door. 

Joker was standing off to my left, his back was to me but someone was in front of him, he had his hands on this someones forearms and was rubbing them up and down. When he finally acknowledged my presence I tried my best to not let my body portray my curiosity as to who was with him. My natural instinct was to angle my body so as to see who he was with but I didn’t, good for me.  _ It’s weird seeing him again.  _

His face turned towards me and then that ridiculous smile showed up again. “Good too see you again doll.”  _ Gee I wish I could say the same.  _

Before I could respond the figure behind him jumped out and began to run towards me.

_ No fucking way in hell!!!!!!!!! _

“Scar!”

“Harley?!?!” Before I could say anything more Harley, or some colorful mimic of Harley jumped into my arms toppeling us both to the ground. I didn’t have time to think about my lack of balance as I was looking up at the face of someone who was most definitely Dr Harleen Quinzell from Arkham Asylum. Blue locked with amber and a smile spread across her face as she hovered over me.

“Holy shit I’ve missed you!”  _ Has her voice changed, more high pitched, stronger accent, was it always like this... _ I couldn’t even process my questions before I felt the press of her lips against mine.  _ What the hell?  _ Her kiss wasn’t forceful but it was oh so soft, I could feel her hands cupping my shocked face as she pressed us closer together, angling her lips against mine.  _ What the hell?  _ When she broke away I couldn’t tell if it had been a minute or just a few seconds, all I could feel was shock. “I didn’t bruise ya did I? When Mistah J told me you were comin’ I just got so excited. I’ve been wantin’ to come and see ya ever since you and he broke out but the timing was just never right. You know how it is though huh Scar?”

I didn’t respond, I couldn’t.

“Scar? Scar? Oh no I didn’t break ya did I?” She started rubbing her hands along the back of my head.

I shook my head back and forth, well as much as I could with being on the ground. “No, no, you didn’t break me…”  _ but someone broke you, didn’t they Harley?  _ “Is it really you Harley?”

Before Harley could respond Joker finally decided to chime in, “Oh, she's really here all right, a few slight modifications but may I introduce the new, improved, one and only Harley Quinn!”  _ He is one for dramatics isn’t he.  _

My eyes never strayed from the new psychiatrist that hovered above me, her hair, still blonde but shorter, with red and blue ends curtained around my face, secluding us from the world. She giggled at Joker’s words while smiling down with me. I brought my hand up to the ends of Harley’s hair, “did you do something different?” 

She laughed at my question before nodding, “maybe just one or two things. Thanks for noticing bunny _?” Bunny? Eugh, lets hope she’ll never use that again.  _   
  


“Alright Harley, let our guest off the ground dear.” Harley compliantly sprang to her feet giggling all the while before extending her hand towards me. I took it thankfully and she pulled me up to her. I couldn’t take my eyes away from this stranger in front of me. “I’ll make you both a drink, how does that sound?” Harley jumped over to J’s side and wrapped her arms around him before nipping at his lips, playfully growling at him. I wanted to look away, PDA always made me feel odd, but I couldn’t help but think,  _ those lips were just on mine a second ago, what the everloving hell? The other lips were on mine a few weeks back. _

“A drink sounds heavenly puddin…”  _ there it is again, puddin, so Harley was the voice on the phone, guess that makes sense now.  _ “What about you Scar? You up for a drink?”  _ Dear God yes, please! _

“Yeah, sure a drink would be great. That doesn’t go against any doctor patient code does it Harls?” 

She giggled once more before bouncing over to me, leaving a laughing Joker to walk over to the bar. Grabbing my arm she began to drag me over to the multitude of couches overlooking the club. “Oh Scar if I was still your psychiatrist you couldn’t pry me out of that delicious little brain of yours. Just the thought of what you’ve got going in there makes me all tingly. Love the outfit by the way, very, very sexy, first time I’ve seen you out of the jumpsuit and I love it!” 

“Yeah, same to you. You look, really...different…”  _ yeah sure that’s one way to put it. _

“Don’t I just! I really owe it all to Mistah J. I’ve never felt so free before, it feels fucking amazing Scar...are ya still going by Scar, or have ya changed it to something more sinister? Not that I don’t love Scar but ya know how these super villains get, they tend to go all willy nilly with their nicknames…”  _ my God has she always talked this much? _

“No, no I’m still going by Scar these days, haven't had a reason to change it yet.” Harley walked up to me and grabbed my face in between her palms and for a moment I thought she might kiss me again.

“Well I wouldn’t change a thing about you Scar...well,” her face contorted in thought, “nah I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”  _ That’s sweet I guess, in her own way.  _

Time for the burning question, “what happened to you Harley?” She was still standing in front of me but had begun to play with my hair, off in her own little world, I couldn’t find my past, focused psychiatrist anywhere in her.

“Huh, whaddya mean?” 

I reached up to grab her hands that were in my hair and held them in front of me. “You... what happened to you Harley, you weren’t like this in Arkham, unless my memories are a bit more fucked up then I think.”  _ Could she have been working with Joker this whole time? No that doesn’t make any sense, plus no one is that good of an actor, well, I’ve gotten away with plenty, it’s not so far fetched really.  _

Harley started to giggle, “I’ve always been this way Scar, I just needed a little  _ push  _ is all.”  _ Okay there Riddler.  _ I heard Joker start to come up to me from behind before feeling his breath against the shell of my ear.  _ Why is he so close, why is Harley letting this happen if she is ‘with’ him. What the fuck is going on? I don’t think I’ve ever been so confused. _

My brain feels like it’s going to explode. “Now, now Scar you didn’t come here to talk about the past, lets focus on the future shall we?” He handed Harley a bright red drink with a shit ton of cherries on the bottom and myself a rum and coke.  _ Wow he remembered.  _

I gave him a thank you before taking a large gulp of my drink and I watched as Harley downed her drink, cherries and all. I did notice that there was quite a bit more rum in my drink than I usually poured but I didn’t think too much of it, everyone's pour is different after all. Harley stepped closer to me and pushed the hand that was holding my drink back up to my mouth. “Come on Scar we’re never gonna have any fun tonight if you don’t keep up.” I threw back the drink to appease her and grimaced at all of the rum as I really don’t drink that often, I don’t like the way it makes my brain all fuzzy.

“I’m really not here to have fun Harley, this is supposed to be a business meeting after all.”  _ Plus I didn’t know that you would be here as well so that changes a lot of things now.  _

Joker went back to the bar to presumably make us more drinks.  _ I’ll just reject that one if he offers,  _ I thought to myself. 

Harley turned my face back towards hers with her hands on my cheeks,  _ her hands are cold.  _ I couldn’t remember her stare ever being this piercing back in Arkham. “Ya have beautiful eyes, did ya know that Scar?”  _ Is she drunk? Or high? Or both? She only had one drink. _

“Well no one has ever told me that, but thanks...I guess.”  _ Are you gonna kiss me again Harley, cause you’re leaning in awful close. _

She giggled, and started to walk us back towards the couches, she pushed me to sit before taking the vacant spot on my lap.  _ What the actual fuck is going on?  _ “Aww now that’s just a shame Scar, no one ever telling you that you have such pretty eyes. I’d tell you everyday if you’d let me, but I think it would get a bit repetitive. So what have you been up to Scar, Scarlett, Scarlett O’Hara, oooo Ms Scarlett?”  _ I don’t really know, what have you been up to Harley? _

“Oh you know, robbing the rich, uncovering Gotham’s dirty secrets, trying to survive with a bounty on my head, normal things.” I saw Joker begin to make his way towards us again with drinks in hand,  _ that just doesn’t look right, him serving drinks, not having any say in the business meeting he made.  _ “What about you Harley, huh, is there a new supervillain I should be on the lookout for?” Joker tried to hand me the drink but I gave a quiet ‘no thanks,’ trying to keep my attention on Harley to figure out how everything became so fucked. Harley wasn’t having it though, she grabbed the drinks out of his hand and pressed mine into my hand, before clicking the glasses together and gulping hers down. I took a small sip of mine this time.

“I don’t think that you should be on the lookout, but I definitely think that every other fucker in this city should be afraid, very afraid. Now, drink up Scar, we’re celebrating a partnership tonight!” She giggled before forcing the drink to my mouth again but I forced it back down.

“I don’t celebrate until after I’ve finished a job, Harls, not before, and especially not before I even know what the job is or what I have to do.” I went to push Harley off of my lap so that I could stand and have the conversation I came for but then I felt pressure on my shoulders pushing me back into the couch. I turned my head to the right and saw J’s pale hands holding me down. I looked back up to Harley and she was just smiling, but at the same time she looked a bit sad.  _ If you have something planned Harley...I don’t want to hurt you but I will if it comes down to it. _

“You already know what I’m asking of you Scar, now why don’t we enjoy ourselves tonight,”  _ oh wow he finally speaks tonight. _

“I seem to remember telling you close to three months ago that I wanted these plans within the week. As far as I’m concerned our deal is void unless you give me what I need to do this successfully. So if you’re still interested you can give me what I need right now, or I’m leaving and you can consider our ‘partnership’ done.” I reached up to grab his hands with a tight squeeze before taking them off my shoulder and downing the rest of my drink. Harley looked down at me with that still sad smile before I gently pushed her off of my lap and stood up.

_ Woah, woah, woah, why the fuck is the room floating? Why are my arms numb? Am I anemic? No, I’ve never had this problem before that’s not it. Why am I shaking? Low blood-pressure, sugar? Maybe, I remember she had it at one point, something like that.  _ I looked around but my moves felt like they were at a fraction of the pace, all of the colors were so vibrant, so pretty.  _ Am I having a heart attack, why is it beating so fast? Why can I hear it? Fuck?!? _

I saw Harley stumble over to me before re balancing herself and standing in front of me.  _ Is she the same as me right now, or is it just me?  _ She smiled up at me while giggling,  _ she’s so fucking pretty, with all of her colors.  _ I watched her hands come up in slow motion before feeling her hands run through my hair,  _ God that feels good, is that music? Pretty, pretty music.  _ “You’re so pretty Harls.”  _ Is that my voice, do I sound like that? _

She giggled again before running her hands from my head down to my own hands, “you’re touch tingles,” she laughed and I did too.  _ Is that my laugh?  _

“Does it feel good Scar?” I nodded slowly, but enthusiastically. She smiled before taking my hands and bringing them above my head in a strange but fun dance,  _ wee.  _ I felt another pair of hands behind me and my hair being pushed away from my shoulder.  _ Has my hair always been this soft? Is that J behind me? Is he why I’m like this? The drink!? Fuck the drink?! Snap out of it Scar! Wait, wait this is fun, the touching feels good, don’t snap out of it. _

“What was that about our partnership being over Scar?”  _ Oh fuck you, wait no fuck me, wait, haha, fuck! _

“Heehe, partnership, funny, partners in crime, you, me, Harley. What did you do to Harley J, or me, or hehehe, or Gotham?” He shushed me before placing a kiss on my neck and pushing me into Harley.  _ Hmmm soft, so soft, and pretty, why is she so pretty?  _

“I’m going to go into my office and get our little partner her paperwork, keep her company won’t you Harley?” I heard her giggle before responding with a ‘course puddin’  _ hehe puddin’, that sounds really good right now. _

I felt Harley start to slowly bring me back to the couch and once my knees touched the edge I flopped down, my blazer unbuttoning on the way down.  _ Ooo sexy, I wanna kiss her again, would she let me? Wait what? _

She crawled to the open side next to me and pressed a kiss to my nose before looking down on me with a smile. I couldn’t help but giggle,  _ she’s so cute!  _ I reached up and ran my fingertips along her cheek,  _ everything feels weird, that’s not makeup though, she’s just that pale. So pretty. _

“Your skin is so soft, I love your face, hehe.”  _ What is wrong with me? _

“I love your face too Scar.” 

I could feel my eyes start to tear up, “I’m sorry Harley, I’m so, so sorry!”  _ Wait what am I sorry for? Why isn’t she kissing me? _

“Don’t be bunny.”  _ Hehe bunny, oh wait now she’s kissing me, oh wow it feels really good. How is she such a good kisser, must be practice with J. Wait no, don’t think about that, ew.  _ “Don’t think so much Scar,”  _ don’t stop kissing me please? Wait no do stop, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe!  _ “Breathe Scar!”  _ I need sleep, I want to sleep.  _ I looked over and saw J standing in the doorway he left through with a smile on his face.  _ I’ll fucking kill him. I need to sleep. _

  
  



	14. The Jokes on Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all and welcome to chapter 14, I hope you all enjoyed the previous chapter and this one even more. Happy Reading!

_**The Jokes on Me** _

_I can't remember the last time I've ever been hungover but I know damn well that this is so much worse than anything I've felt before._ _What the hell did Joker do to me, and Harley, shit Harley was there too. How did I get home, did they drop me off, did I walk home? Jesus Christ my head! Why don't I remember anything? It was only a few drinks!_

I felt Talon lick the side of my face warning me to get up and take him for a walk or he would tear up and quite possibly shit all over the place. "I'm sorry buddy, just give me five more minutes okay, mom needs to wake up."

He gave me a look that said 'you better hurry the couch is looking really tasty.'

Tallon laid his head on my stomach looking for a few head scratches which I happily gave. "I think I got a bit too drunk last night buddy. Did anyone new come into the apartment last night?" No response, just a whine to be let outside. I counted to five before swinging my legs over the side of the bed and I immediately felt incredibly nauseous. I had to take a few deep breaths before looking up from between my knees to glance around the room. Everything looked to be in its proper place except for the mysterious folder on the other side of the bed. I stood on stiff legs to grab it.

_Harley and I had a great time last night doll x_

_Here's all your precious details_

_Have fun_

_See ya soon - J_

The folder was relatively thick, I looked over at Tallon. "I got some homework to do so lets make this a quick walk today okay buddy?" No response, just a tail wag.

* * *

The title page of Joker's folder was a mugshot of Maroni with a bunch of crude little doodles surrounding him. _I wonder if Joker or Harley did this?_

I don't remember much of last night but I do remember Harley, _did we kiss? I feel like we did. What the fuck did Joker do to her? Fucking up her brain was never part of the escape plan. It could be worse though, she could've been dead. At least I don't have to feel guilty about that. Besides Joker must have liked her enough to want to keep her around, I wouldn't necessarily feel grateful but it's better than being on his shit list._

Looking back at the folder there was the standard time, place, compensation and a bunch of other bullshit that I would need for general computer hacking, as if I didn't already have my own equipment that was a million times better than this. I took a second look at the time and pulled out my phone to compare the dates.

_What the fuck?! He expects this heist to happen in five fucking hours is he out of his goddamn mind?! If he needed his shit the next day why the fuck did he decide to get me drunk the night before?!_

I looked over at Tallon who was in a deep sleep beside me, "I'm sorry buddy but you're gonna be on your own again tonight okay?" No response but he doesn't really have a choice in the matter anyway.

* * *

After I looked over the folder I spent a solid two hours in the gym attempting to get over my hangover and loosen up as I haven't been working out in a set routine like I should. The men working out alongside me looked a bit frightened when I went up against the punching bag. I had a lot of pent up frustration that was released on the poor equipment.

As much as I didn't want to, I could hear Ra's disgust about my sloppy form in my head, I couldn't help the self negativity drilled into me from his words.

_After all this time put into your training you're still useless to this league._

_How dare you disgrace us with your weakness._

_The next time your foot falters I will break it._

_Examples must be made Leta._

Fuck Ra's al Ghul, fuck him to hell and back. _Funny for you Scar you actually did._

I gave one final finishing move to the punching bag for good measure before going to my bag and checking the time. There were two hours left before I had to head out. I went back up to my apartment and took a shower. The shower was unnecessarily long as I stood letting the scalding water run over me.

"You're so close Scar, so close to leaving, don't fuck this up, you can't afford it. Just push it away."

After turning the stream off I quickly towel dried and twisted out the excess water from my hair before heading to the back of the walk in closet. I grabbed the box that Nate had dropped off a couple months ago and tossed it on the bed before putting on my underwear.

"Why are you getting so sentimental Scar?"

I took out the familiar black stealth suit, smooth, no rips, _they never got the chance to put a rip in._

_When you wear this you lead by example, you make others fear you with a single glance. Do not take this lightly Leta._

I slipped on the suit and half mask before holstering my weapons that were left in the corner of the room the night before. _Don't think too hard about it Scar, just walk out the door._

I did just that.

* * *

When I arrived at the location that was detailed in the folder from this morning it felt off, right from the start. _Trust in the mission Scar, twenty million dollars._

I went in through the delivery entrance, there weren't supposed to be any guards today as cartell shipments happen on a different day. Joker was wrong, there were two guards stationed at the door facing away from me. _Where did you get your information from Joker?_ I knocked both of them unconscious before making my way to the air shaft that would take me directly to Maroni's office.

_Jesus Christ crawling up a ventilation shaft is such a bitch._

When I made it to the top I looked through the air vents that hovered over the rooms below me. I had to crawl a couple more feet before I made it to Maroni's office. The carpet was soft for my landing and made it silent as well, _the guys' office looks like it's stuck in the 80's._ The pattern on the carpet reminded me of the Overlook Hotel from _The Shining._

Getting back to business I walked around the huge mahogany desk to reach the desktop perched at the corner. It was of course password protected because nothing could ever be so simple for me. Then again I wouldn't want my illegal activities to be easily viewable. I plugged in my flash drive that began hacking into the computer. It should only take around five to ten minutes and then I'll be on my merry way holding twenty million dollars in my hand.

While I let the flash drive do its job I took a look at the amazing view that Maroni had living high up above the underlings of Gotham. I don't know what these files contain, but my guess is that Maroni is going to go a few levels down on the crime family totem pole. _As hopeless as Gotham is, she sure does have a pretty view._

The window reflected a shape behind me, and when I turned around there was nothing there. _You're just being paranoid Scar, everything is going according to plan, well except for those two guys downstairs but that's beside the point._ That was my last thought before everything went black.

* * *

I came to, feeling even worse than I did this morning, _might have something to do with blunt force trauma, just saying._

"Wakey, wakey sweetheart you've got a long night ahead, don't want you to miss out on it."

 _Fuck me_ "Maroni."

"In the flesh, you know me, I'm touched. I don't need to take off that mask to know who you are underneath, but I wanna do it Scarlett Korin. Does it protect you, do you feel safer with that barrier? Half of Gothams' scum know your face already, there's no point in hiding it anymore."

He came down to eye level and I could smell liquor and cigarettes on his breath, his hand came up and yanked down the wrap around the lower half of my face.

_Never break eye contact with your enemy Leta. Never make them think that they hold power over you._

Maroni stood back to full height, towering over me. I saw the slap coming but it was still disarming. It also gave me a chance to survey the room. _Six men, all armed with guns but holstered away, they figure they won't need them, they're wrong. All large, larger than the average thug, they chained me with handcuffs but they left the legs, huge mistake._

"You and Falconi thought that you could steal from me! I knew that the man had lost his balls after getting robbed by you but I guess he must be losing his mind too. How much is he paying you hm? I sure hope it's worth what we're gonna do to you tonight sweetheart."

"Falconi?" _He thinks I'm working with Falconi? Even he's not stupid enough to work with someone that stole from him._

"Don't play dumb you little bitch."

"Oh trust me I'm not you jackass. I'm not working for Falconi."

"Oh that's just perfect then, so I can go to Joker and put a bullet in his head for lying to me. Yeah that'll go over real well sweetheart. Now tell me how much was Falconi paying you!" He slapped me again at that, apparently he's very impatient to have his questions answered.

 _Wait a minute! Joker?!_ Then it all clicked into place, _Scar you fucking idiot._

"Fuck you Maroni." I would spit on him for good measure but I'm a lady.

He chuckled, it was a typical bad guy, I have the upper hand here and you just fucked up big time chuckle. He turned around and gestured for one of his men to come towards him, when they were close enough he leaned in and whispered something to him. _Damn if I was Superman you would feel real stupid right now._

"Have fun boys."

Maroni started to walk out the door and his men started to walk towards me when the room suddenly filled with smoke. I'll admit that even I was confused as hell. The men all started crying out wondering what was going on when the smoke started to clear a bit.

"Shit it's Batman!"

I took the opportunity to kick at the man in front of me, he fell to his knees allowing me to slam my foot into his face, effectively knocking him out. It was a blur as Bruce came from behind, gripping the back of the chair and flipping so that the wood smashed beneath me.

"Much appreciated B!" I said when I brought myself back to my feet, jumping so that my cuffed hands were brought in front of me.

"Since when are they working together?" One of the terrified goons shouted out. _Since never, he's just a goody goody._

Another one of the armed men turned to shoot at me, I quickly disarmed him and brought his face to my knee, allowing the handcuffs to break from the force. Bruce and I made quick work of the other thugs but Maroni was left unaccounted for and my stupidity allowed for him to bring a gun to the back of my neck.

"Walk outta here Bat-Freak or the little thief gets a bullet in her head, ya understand." _Why do men always go for women out of the group, they automatically assume that we're the weakest link._

"Let her go Maroni." He just pressed the gun harder into my skin.

"Not a chance, what would my boys think if I let her go huh? Can't have anyone think that I've gone soft now can I?"

"What I'm about to do is gonna sting a bit Maroni."

"Shut up you little bi-"

I quickly dropped to my knees and swept Maroni, quite literally, off his feet. I pulled out one of my knives and was about to shove it in Gotham's grandfather's throat before it was knocked out of my hand by one of Bruce's toys. Weaponless I aimed a well placed punch at one of his pressure points, making him seize and pass out.

"No killing Scarlett!"

"Are you fucking kidding me Bruce?" _Seriously, scolding me like some fucking child, I can kill whoever I damn well please. Wow maybe I am a child._

"No killing!"

"You know exactly what Maroni has done Bruce, trust me he's killed way more than I have and you want me to let him live? He was gonna kill me Bruce, I'm not gonna let him have the chance to do it again."

"Just because you wear that outfit doesn't mean you have to abide by their code Scarlett." He stepped up to me so that we were toe to toe.

"Oh fuck off Bruce, it could have been laundry day for all you know. I have nothing to do with The League anymore." I went back over to the computer that still housed my flash drive and typed away to continue the downloading process. _Joker's gonna get his files, along with a bullet to the head._

"Then why are you wearing the uniform? Don't tell me it was laundry day."

"I can't explain it Bruce, and I'm not gonna try. I needed to wear this tonight. I'll leave it at that." _Nothing to do with the fact that Ra's has been in my head ever since you came into my life. Pretty sure you're partially to blame for this bullshit._

"What were you doing here tonight Scarlett? I thought that you said you were done. You were supposed to leave." The files were downloaded, I pulled the flash drive out and walked back over to Bruce. Now that I could get a good look at it I could fully appreciate the suit, it really does wonders for him.

"I'm repaying a debt."

"Joker?" _Wow world's greatest detective._

"Yes."

"Why are you working with that lunatic Scarlett?" _Okay to be clear I'm not 'working with' I'm doing a job._

"It's none of your business Bruce. It doesn't really matter anyway, the bastard fucking set me up. He told Maroni that I was coming, said that I was working with Falconi, the lying asshat…look I'm not gonna say that I had it under control because I obviously didn't but I have to go now so….thanks for your help." I turned to leave.

"Scarlett!"

"What?!"

"Get out of Gotham...or I'm taking you back in. I'm serious, I don't offer many second chances let alone a third."

"Don't worry Bruce, I'll be out before the month is done."

"Let's hope that you are." I looked away with a scoff. _Oh please Bruce, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone._

"Empty threats now Br-" I looked back and he was gone. _Hmm, impressive, I don't like it but I can respect it._

Looking down at one of the unconscious men I picked up his gun and left the way I came.

* * *

"You're fucking dead Joker!" I yelled as I burst in through the door to his office. I guess I still had clearance to be let in based on my past visits.

"Oooo if I had a million for everytime someone said that I'd be a richer man. Didn't expect to see ya tonight Scar, how did everything go?"

"You screwed me over Joker, I'm not playing around anymore tell me why!"

"Because I wanted to, better yet because I can. Love the outfit by the way, I can respect a lady in uniform." _Why haven't any of his goons shown up yet?_

"Fuck you give me a better reason."

"Hate to break it to ya doll but I don't have one." He leaned back in his desk chair and propped his feet up on the table without a care in the world.

"Well _I_ hate to break it to _you_ but I don't deal well with people who go behind my back to sabotage me." I quickly pulled out my stolen gun and aimed it at him, my hand didn't waver from the weight no matter how angry I was. I grabbed my flash drive from my other pocket and threw it at him, it clattered behind his on the wall. "Here's your fucking files, now give me my twenty million before I pull this trigger…" he laughed at my threats.

"Oh I never needed those files. Also you're lucky Harley likes you otherwise your pretty self would be splattered on the pavement." He snapped his fingers and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck, I reached behind but couldn't find what caused it.

I didn't need to because the world began spinning like it had the night before, making me drop the gun and fall to my knees.

"Don't fight it either doll, it'll just make you sick if you do, it was really nice to know that you weren't allergic to the tranquilizer too, that just wouldn't have been good at all, I did find out that you would need a higher dose, but that really wasn't a problem. I'm not a man that takes threats very well either Scar. Now Harley begged me not to kill you and I won't but that doesn't mean that I'm not gonna hurt ya, really, really bad."


	15. All It Takes is One Bad Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some minor heavy stuff in this chapter, just forwarning you. Happy Reading!

_ Everyone wants to be strong until a stronger gust of wind blows. _

I woke up in more pain than the day before, it made that morning feel like a light tap on the head. I couldn’t move at first, that scared me more than anything, I’ve never felt more fear than the thought of not having control of my body. Then I found out that reason was because of the mind numbing pain my body was in. It was like my mind and body were five seconds apart from each other. 

It either took hours or minutes for me to be able to bring myself to a sitting position, when I did I wish I hadn’t. 

There were cuts and bruises of all shapes and sizes on the tops of my thighs and all the way down to my calves. They didn’t stop there, I could see that there were even more on my arms, from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders. They weren’t deep but not shallow either, most would leave a scar. 

_ It’s fitting don’t ya think Scar? _

I had to wonder if they went up to my face as well.  _ What did he do to me? _

I was dressed in nothing but my sports bra and underwear, my outfit from the night before was folded neatly on the end of the bed with an envelope and note on top. 

Attempting to stand and walk to the bathroom really fucking hurt and brought tears to my eyes. I’ve felt all kinds of pain and it really doesn’t lessen as time goes on, no matter what some would say. Talon was beside me every step of the way, ready to catch me if he could,  _ my good boy.  _ I eventually made it to the bathroom, again hours or minutes, I couldn’t tell. 

What I saw in the mirror wasn’t me, it couldn’t be.  _ How could I not tell that my hair was gone?  _ My head was completely shaved and my face would be unrecognizable in a morgue. My lips were swollen and busted, chapped with a cut running all the way from the top of my lip to under my left eye. 

_ Look at that beauty, we’re gonna fit that face to your name doll, it’s gonna be brilliant. _

I winced at the words ringing in my mind, maybe they were a memory. My right eye was black but not completely shut, but there were bruises all along the right side of my face varying in shades. 

_ How could anything have been strong enough to keep me from waking up during this?  _ I looked down at my arms again and saw a bruise on my inner elbow, a needle,  _ ah that’s how.  _

_ I’m gonna pass out.  _

I leaned against the counter before falling to my knees and reaching for the toilet. I hugged it before throwing up into the bowl, it was mostly dry heaving, I hadn’t eaten anything in so long. Tallon was right beside me whimpering, wondering what was wrong with me.

“Tallon...go fetch my phone.”  _ Aren’t I lucky I taught him that trick? _

He ran off and I leaned back against the tub closing my eyes.  _ Don’t fall asleep Scar you can’t, not yet.  _

Tallon came running back into the bathroom with my phone in his mouth. He dropped it into my lap and I rewarded him with a half assed head scratch,  _ you’ll get a better one later buddy I promise. _ I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my contacts, hovering over Bruce, he has a little bat symbol next to his name, before hitting the call button and putting it on speaker. It rang three times.

“Scarlett?”

“Hi Bruce,”  _ God I sound like shit. _

“Scarlett what’s wrong?”

_ Don’t beat around the bush Scar,  _ “I need help Bruce, please.”

“Where are you?”  _ How is he so calm? _

“Home.”  _ It’s not home, not really. _

“I'm on my way, stay on the phone.”

“No promises...I’m really fucking tired.” I looked down at my thighs and saw that some of the cuts had started bleeding again, blood was getting on the bath mats. “It’s a fucking horror show in here.”

“Are you bleeding?”

“Oh yeah, but not from...bullet wounds,”  _ I can’t breathe, am I hyperventilating, am I gonna pass out?  _ “It’s hard to... breathe Bruce.”

“I know Scarlett, I’m almost there, calm yourself.”

“Okay.”  _ Telling me to calm myself, I’ve never had a panic attack, I don’t know what to do. Or maybe I’m having a late reaction to what I was given. _ “Hey Bruce?”

“Yes Scarlett?” 

“Why did you leave the League? You...obviously had to, otherwise you wouldn’t be, Manbat.”  _ I’ll tell you why I left if you tell me. We never really did tell each other why all those months ago in an Arkham visit.  _

“We don’t need to talk about that right now Scarlett.”

“But...I wanna know Bruce.”

I could hear him take in a deep breath and sigh,  _ I wonder how far away he is. _

“Maybe when you’re safe Scarlett.”

“I’ll never be safe Bruce...you told me that...remember? The League is...always watching, waiting.”  _ I’m gonna be sick again.  _ I leaned over to the toilet, narrowly missing it,  _ I have no hair to hold back anymore.  _ The thought made me start to cry, the cuts made me weep and the bruises made me ache. “Bruce?”

He didn’t respond this time he just grunted, I could hear him breathing a bit heavier as well.  _ What’s he doing? _

“How far away are you?” 

I heard the front door bang open,  _ did he kick it down?  _ “Scarlett?!” 

Tallon ran out of the bathroom and started barking at Bruce, thinking he was here to hurt me. Probably reminded him of the first time we met as well. I could hear Bruce calming him down and then Tallon ran back to me. I saw Bruce rush into the doorway and look at me with shock, maybe disgust, or even horror. I wouldn’t blame him, I probably looked like a horror movie reject.

“Jesus Scarlett.”

“Hi Bruce,” I would have waived if lifting my arm didn’t hurt so damn much.

“It’s gonna be alright, we’re gonna get you out of here, get you better.” He came to kneel beside me and guided my left arm over his shoulder, I could tell he was trying to be careful of the cuts. He lifted me under my knees and I couldn’t help but let out of groan, it really fucking hurt but I knew he was trying his best.  _ Oh some ribs definitely have to be broken. _

“No hospitals Bruce.”

He stood and began to maneuver us out of the bathroom. “I know, I’m taking you back to the manor, Alfred and I will patch you up as best as we can there.” 

“Don’t forget Tallon please...he should just follow us out.”  _ He’s so warm, so comfy and very muscled. _

“I won’t, you can sleep now, it’ll be okay.”  _ You sound so sure. _

“Okay.” I did exactly that.

* * *

I was woken up by the sound of a door opening and Tallon’s head popping up. I was also in the softest bed I had ever woken up in, in my life. Every part of my body still felt like it got hit by a semi though so I knew that I wasn’t dreaming anything.

“Ah good you’re awake,”  _ I recognize that voice,  _ “Master Bruce said to let you get as much sleep as possible but it’s been quite a while and I’m sure that you need to eat.” I saw him walk towards the bed carrying a tray that held a bowl, a glass and some bread. He set the tray down on the bedside table before turning to look at me again. “Do you need help sitting up Ms. Korin?”

I shook my head with a soft ‘no thank you’ before slowly sitting up. Once sitting Tallon immediately laid his head in my lap,  _ my good boy.  _

“He has not left your side Ms. Korin, except to use the bathroom of course, even then he came right back.” I won't lie that melted my heart. “I believe Master Bruce will be in shortly to speak to you, do you require any assistance before I leave?” I shook my head again, “very well, please enjoy Ms. Korin, if you need anything please let me know. Also please bear in mind that you had quite a few fingers and toes broken so be kind to yourself Ms. Korin...good day.”

Once he left I looked down at my arms to see that they were completely bandaged, I lifted the covers to see my legs in the same situation. He wasn’t lying about my hands and feet, I couldn’t move most of my fingers or my toes.  _ How did I not feel that earlier? _

I wasn’t wearing any pants still but I was now wearing a tank top so I had a little modesty. I could feel bandages on my stomach as well, and there was a tightness to my face. I lifted my hand to my cheek and felt butterfly tape along the long cut. My hand ran up to my still shaven scalp. It was an odd texture to feel as there were parts that were longer than others instead of it being completely smooth. 

I gave Tallon his well deserved head scratches, they were long overdue. “Thanks for staying with me buddy.” He just gave me a look that said ‘where else would I be?’

I carefully reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the glass of water and bread that was on the tray.  _ I’ll drink that broth if I feel like I won't puke after eating this bread. _ The water was gone within ten seconds as was the bread,  _ that’s what happens when you don’t eat for practically two days, dumbass. _

The door opened again and Tallon’s head popped up to see who it was this time, it was Bruce.

“How are you feeling Scarlett?”

“Like absolute shit but at least I’m not clutching a toilet wondering what the fuck is going on anymore. Thank you for coming by the way, you didn’t have to, it means a lot that you did.” _ Are all superheros as chivalrous as you by any chance? _

“Of course, do you know what happened to you?” He asked as he came to sit on the opposite side of the bed.

“Do you mean do I know who did it? Or do I know everything that was done?” He nodded so I guess he meant both questions. “Well as to who did this...it was Joker. I had gone over to his club after you left, gun cocked, ready to blow his fucking brains out for setting me up. The last thing I remember is him snapping his fingers and falling to the floor. He said something about me being grateful that Harley liked me or else I would be dead. Can’t really say that I’m all that grateful though.”  _ God did she know that he was gonna do this to me?  _

“Quinn?”

“Yeah, she was mine and the Joker’s psychiatrist in Arkham. She helped him escape, and me by default.”  _ I was also the reason she’s like this now but he doesn’t need to know this. _

“Her and Joker have been tearing Gotham apart for the past couple of weeks.”

“Really? How have I not heard anything about that?”  _ I know for a fact that I keep up to date on the news. _

“The GCPD has been trying to keep it under wraps for the time being, they suppose that there will be some big announcement about the two of them soon. They’ll slip up eventually and will be brought in...he’s not going to get away with what he’s done to you Scarlett.”

“I’ve done worse Bruce, I could be dead, at least I’m not. I want him dead for what he’s done but I know it’s not gonna happen, at least not by me.” He nodded his head at my words.

“I understand how you feel Scarlett.”

“No you don’t,”  _ you’ve never felt this helpless, have never been so twisted and mangled, even the League never broke someone down to this extent. _

He stood and walked toward the window overlooking the grounds of the manor. “Yes, I do…” it clicked in my head what he was talking about.

“Jason?”

“When I was called in and saw the suit hanging from Perdition Bridge I wanted him dead more than anything else in the world. I was so angry because I knew that it was all my fault. Jason thought the Joker shouldn’t be left alive after all of the things he’d done. I just wanted to bring him to justice, so Jason went after him on his own. He’s dead because of me, and there are still moments where I want Joker dead, but if I kill him...I’m no better, even if I want to be.”

_ What the fuck am I supposed to say to that? _

“I can remember bits and pieces of what he did to me. Not necessarily the pain but I can hear his laugh, some words, buzzing. Everything is so fuzzy, I kind of want it to stay that way if I’m being honest.” It hurts to talk about it, it shouldn’t, I should be stronger than this.

“I’m sorry this happened to you Scarlett.” He walked back over and grabbed my wrist checking the bandages.

“Like I said Bruce, I’ve done worse. Tell me honestly though, do I rock a bald head?”

That made him laugh, “I would never personally shave my head but you can pull it off well.” He was still holding onto my hand and it was comforting, more than it should be. My broken fingers wanted to move against his but they couldn’t.

“Why did you help me Bruce, with this and with Maroni?”

“It all boils down to what I proposed the first time you were here Scarlett. Until you leave Gotham for good the offer still stands. I see a lot of good in you, a lot of good that can be done for the city.”  _ You sure did care a lot about a city that hasn’t done anything for you. _

“I’m a criminal Bruce, not a vigilante.”  _ I do remember wanting to be a superhero when I was younger but I’m not gonna tell him that. _

“If given a clean slate, what would you be?” He took his hand away from me and went to pet Tallon’s head that was still resting in my lap.

“Normal, boring, working a nine to five job, barely making enough to scrape by, but I would sure as hell not have a target on my back. I know that’s not possible but if I had a clean slate then I might consider working with you Bruce, but it wouldn’t be definite.” I had to lay back down, sitting up was hurting my ribs too much.

“Why did you leave the League Scarlett?”  _ I think they wanna know that question as well Bruce. _

“Haven’t we been through this before?”

“Yes but tell me again.” I settled against my pillows like I was ready for a story, Bruce went behind my head to adjust them and I quietly thanked him.

“I told you I was in too deep, with Ra’s, the League, everything. I had almost been killed so many times by people within the League who wanted me dead for being so close to Ra’s. It wasn’t even the position that they wanted, they thought I was a virus in the working system, that I was distracting him. That wasn’t true at all, nothing could have distracted him from the League. The night when I decided to leave was when Ra’s wanted me to kill a girl and her two kids, they hadn’t done anything, they were just in the wrong place, wrong time, like a lot of people, like I was. I couldn’t do it, he put the order out to kill me right then...I told him I was pregnant, it was his. I left that night, I ended up losing the baby on my journey back to the states, it was too much to handle at the time I guess. I’m lucky that there was a doctor on the plane at the time.”

To say that Bruce was stunned just didn’t cut it.

“Why did you leave the League Bruce, you were meant to take his place, you were his most promising student, what happened?” I rested my hand on Tallon, right next to his.

“He wanted me to kill a man, I don’t know if he was innocent or not, I wouldn’t do it. To me killing the man that was put in front of me would make me no better than the man that killed my family. I was afraid that if I started to kill then I wouldn’t be able to stop. I created Batman because I wanted to help Gotham through justice, not vengeance, to make criminals too scared to commit crime. It hasn’t worked yet but it’s a process.” I did laugh at that.

“I remember hearing stories about Batman when I was younger, I thought he was just a shitty Superman without any powers.” His head fell as he laughed, he has a very nice laugh but I don’t think he has much of an occasion to.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, how long until I overstay  _ my  _ welcome?” I yawned out my words at the end of my sentence.

“You can leave anytime you like, but I would recommend staying until your wounds have partially healed.”

“Great, I really can’t thank you enough Bruce.”

“It’s no problem Scarlett I’ll let you get some sleep.” He took his hand away from Tallon and stood to leave taking my tray along with him.

“You can just call me Scar by the way. Hey Bruce? I haven’t gotten a chance to see my back but I know it’s just as fucked up as the rest but how bad is it?” He paused and wouldn’t look at me,  _ that’s not a good sign. _

“I don’t know how to tell you Scarlett.”

“Just tell me Bruce, I can take it trust me.”  _ The League made sure of that. _

“He carved words, not just marks.”

“What do they say?”

_ Jokes on you Scar, hahahahahah. _

* * *

_ “Everyone! We welcome a new recruit into our ranks today. Our cause reaches to the states and brings us Sarala Lane. Sarala has travelled to train and help us bring balance to this world. Sarala, do you understand what you are committing yourself to?” _

_ “Yes I do.” _

_ “Good... Dumas, step forward and kneel. Kill him Sarala, take this blade, the weapon of our League and end his life. Choose the life more valuable, yours or his. He would not hesitate to kill you my child. You must not either.” _

_ Minutes pass, a blade falls as do tears. _

_ “Very well done Sarala, you begin training tomorrow. Come with me, we have much to discuss.” _ __   
  



	16. I’m Only as Good as the World Allows Me to Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! This chapter is a bit on the mature side just to let ya know....happy reading!

Tallon and I ended up staying with Bruce for a month before I decided that I needed to go back to my apartment and pack my things to leave. I still haven't decided whether I would take him up on his offer but he said as long as I wasn’t committing violent crimes then I could take as much time as I needed to decide.  _ Kind of hard to commit crimes when your fingers and toes are healing.  _

I came down to the dining room for breakfast like I had been for the past couple weeks, once I wasn’t confined to my bed anymore. Bruce stood from his usual place to come and pull out my chair, no one could fault him for the manners he had when he wasn’t beating criminals to a pulp. 

“How did you sleep Scarlett?”  _ He still refuses to call me Scar, it gets on my last nerve sometime. _

“Fine, same as every other night that I’ve been here. How about you, huh? I heard the Batmobiles’ engines late this morning, did you even get any sleep?” I will admit that I’ve grown to care about Bruce a lot, which is why I’m so confused about the choices that I have.

“Guilty, I’ll sleep after breakfast.”

“Crime in Gotham sure doesn’t sleep.”  _ Or slow down for that matter. _

“No it doesn’t, what did Alfred say he was making the morning?”

“I think he said he was making a full english this morning to account for your long night.” He sighed happily and leaned his head back against the chair with his eyes closed. “Bruce you need to go get some sleep, food will still exist after you wake up.” He didn’t even respond,  _ damn, the bastard can fall asleep anywhere.  _

I stood up and went into the kitchen where Alfred was frying up bacon with Tallon sitting in a little doggy bed in the corner of the kitchen; he’s grown to love Tallon a lot over this past month. 

He turned to me, “ah, good morning Ms. Korin, how are you?”

I went to sit at one of the bar stools, “morning Alfred, I’m doing okay. Bruce fell asleep at the table so I don’t think he’ll be eating for a while.”

He gave a small chuckle, “I see, well I shall be sure to keep a plate in the oven for him for when he wakes up. What are your plans for the day Ms. Korin?” 

“I’m not entirely sure yet. I had thought about going back to my old apartment and grabbing some things, possibly staying the night as I’m getting better.”

“I take it that means that you have made a decision regarding Master Bruce’s proposition?” I shrugged while coming to stand beside him, watching the bacon fry in the pan.

“I’ve been looking at more permanent apartments in Gotham, but I’ve also been looking at apartments outside of the states. I want to help Bruce out as much I can, especially after everything he’s done for me.”  _ Why do you always feel the need to owe someone Scar? _

“Master Bruce doesn’t expect anything from you, Ms. Korin.”

“I know, that’s exactly why I want to help him. I just don’t know if I could be on the same level as boy wonder is with him. It just doesn’t seem right to do good things to the city after everything I’ve done to it.” He took the bacon out of the pan and placed it on a paper towel lined plate. 

“You could consider it a second chance Ms. Korin.” He single handedly cracked an egg and dropped it into the sizzling meat grease. 

“Bruce has already given me one and I fucked it up. I think I would be better at working with him from a distance. At least then there would be no collatoral from any possible fuck ups on my part.”

“Well it is ultimately your decision Ms. Korin, I do know that your presence will be sorely missed in the manor.” 

“I’ll miss you too Alfred but it’s not goodbye. Would it be okay if Tallon stayed the night tonight while I’m gone, I’ll be back by tomorrow evening.”

“Of course Ms. Korin, please feel free to take one of the cars with you.”

“Oh thanks, but no thanks, if I were to bring one of those into my old neighborhood it would get stripped for parts the second I step out of it.”

We sat and ate breakfast together while Bruce’s plate stayed in the microwave waiting for the time that he’ll eventually wake up.

* * *

Coming back to my apartment for the first time in a month was like seeing an old friend you never wanted to see again. It didn’t even feel like home anymore. Bruce had paid to have the door fixed from where he kicked it down. He told me that he hasn’t been back since that day, so everything should be the same as when I left. Unless someone else has paid a visit.

When I walked in I locked the door behind me before doing a quick sweep of the small apartment. Everything did seem to be the same as when I left it, even the folder with the note that I didn’t get the chance to look at when I woke up. I walked over to it and picked up the note.

_ I had fun doll _

_ We should do it again sometime _

_ J xxx _

_ That fucking bastard! _

I crumpled the note and threw it across the room, I should have done the same with the folder and yet I still looked through it. The folder fell from my hands once I could comprehend what I was holding. A knife cluttered to the ground, surrounded by pictures of me.

_ Jesus _

I dropped to my knees, my breathing uneven, to gather the photos from the ground. Photos of my half naked body after every cut was put on my body, Joker holding my hair as a mustache posing for the camera before shaving it, him next to my face placing kisses on my cheek while he cut the other one.  _ Every photo showed what a sadistic bastard he is and how weak I am, how could I have let myself be so weak? _

I jumped to my feet to grab a pot from the kitchen and brought it back. Every picture was ripped into a million pieces and fluttered into the pot before being set on fire.

The knife was a different story, it still had blood on it.

_ You should keep it Leta, kill him with it when you get the chance. _

I shook my head free of the thought.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, I leapt into action grabbing the spare handgun under my bed,  _ if Bruce knew that I had this he’d be very disappointed.  _ I slowly made my way to the door, before looking through the peephole.

“Scar are ya in there? It’s me Harley, ya haven’t been around for weeks, please let me in!”

I threw the door open and grabbed Harley by the collar of her shirt before spinning her around into the apartment and slamming the door behind me. The rage that was coursing through me was indescribable, rage and sadness, I would cry when I got angry when I was younger. It felt like that.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now for what your boyfriend did to me!” I said with my gun pointed at her.

“Well first off you look like hell and second I have a guard that’ll kill ya if anything happens to me, but what do ya mean puddin’ did this to ya?”

“Don’t you fucking call him ‘puddin’’ in front of me. Did you know? Did you know he was gonna fucking do this to me?!”

“Scar, I don’t even know what he had for breakfast, let alone what he plans to do to people. I told him not to hurt ya as soon as I knew that you two were working together. He knows you’re special to me, he wouldn’t do that to ya.”

“Take a fucking look at me Harley, who’s M.O does this fit huh? He set me up with Maroni, an ambush was waiting for me as soon as I got there. I went to confront him about it and he knocked me out. I woke up like this, I look worse than Victor fucking Zazz, Harley. Now tell me again, why shouldn’t I kill you?”

She walked up to and grabbed the barrel of the gun that was shaking in my hand and pushed it to the side, and I let her. Her hands came up to grab my cheeks, one finger ran along the long scar, starting at my lip, it caused me to shiver and tears to come to my eyes. I saw tears spring up in her eyes as well. She pulled me into a hug and I hugged her back.

“I’m so sorry Scar, I didn’t know, I swear I didn’t. I’ve been waiting to see ya for weeks, I wanted to talk to ya, I missed ya. I’m so sorry, so, so sorry.” I could feel her crying against my shoulder and I cried against hers.

“It’ll never be okay Harley but I don’t blame you for it.”  _ I blame myself, I should have left while I could.  _ “We’re both his victims Harley but we don’t have to be.” 

She lifted her head from my shoulder, her makeup was running down her face and her eyes were red. I didn’t get a chance to think before she brought my lips to hers. They felt familiar,  _ so I definitely kissed her that night.  _

Her hands started running under my shirt and I didn’t stop her when she asked if it was okay.

“I don’t want you to stop,”  _ she feels so good, so soft.  _ “Harley…”

She lifted my top off and quickly discarded my bra as well. I had only ever slept with two other women before in my life but neither of them had the same gentleness and ferocity that Harley did. Who the hell am I kidding there is no one like her. 

After my bra was she looked down at my breasts before gently cupping them. She started to lead me down the hall, “the door on the right.”

I couldn’t help the moan that parted my lips, the feeling of her hands that touched the parts of me that were exposed. She was slow, but I didn’t want to be slow, not with the mess inside my head. I didn’t want her comfort or pity, I wanted it rough and chaotic. 

“I’m not gonna break Harley, you can be rough with me, cuz I plan on being rough with you too okay?”

She nodded before attacking my lips, she bit and sucked at my bottom lip. Purrs of satisfaction rose from her throat as she saw how swollen they had become.. Her hand kneaded at my breast before she rolled my nipple between her fingers, heat pooled between my legs. I laced my fingers through her hair, tugging at the roots, eliciting moans that parted those ruby red lips.

When we fell through the door she pushed me to the bed and went to unbutton my jeans and pull them down my legs before hovering over me to kiss me again,  _ why does kissing her feel so good?  _ I locked my ankles around her and ground myself against her, I could hear her let out a soft moan at my motions. I reached up to unclasp the hooks on her colorful overalls that she wore here and pushed them down to her hips before tossing the crop top she had underneath to the other side of the bed. She wasn’t wearing a bra, her breasts bounced, they were full and fucking perfect,  _ God she’s beautiful.  _

I rolled us over before climbing away and kneeling near my bed, I brought her ass to the edge of the bed and began to kiss up her legs, nipping at her inner thighs, leaving a trail of marks to the underwear that I left on her for now. 

She moaned softly and I could feel her low soft laughter, her hands clasped the sheets on the bed by her side. I smiled before placing a harsh bite right near her cunt, she yelped and I smiled at the reaction. I could smell the sweetness and knew she would taste just as good, she was begging me to touch her, to please her,  _ God I want to please her _ . I ran my thumb along the soft fabric of the underwear finding the hardened bud, she twitched arching into my hand. 

I pulled her underwear down and tossed it to join the rest of our clothing before plunging a finger into her, gently prodding her walls. The wetness pooled out coating my hand. I added another finger hearing her moans grow louder. I kept going, watching her twitch and moan, her body moving to meet the pump of my fingers, my thumb keeping up the ministrations on her nub. Her breathing grew erratic, but I couldn’t let her come, not yet, not until I tasted her.

I stopped right before she reached her peak and she shot up, her cheeks red with excitement and her eyes searching for a release, she was most definitely a little angry. I smiled before holding up my soaked fingers, taking them in my mouth one at a time, tasting her, “you didn’t think you’d come before I got a taste did you Harls?” She shook her head, her eyes pleading for me to keep going but her smile letting me know that she loved the delay. “You’re fucking soaked Harls, is it all for me baby?”

I didn’t let her answer before lowering my face again, this time my mouth sought out her bud. I could hear her body pant as my tongue swirled around it. She began to jolt again and moan, “oh God, fuck Scar, please keep going.” I moved the hand that was resting on her stomach up and kneaded at her breast, twisting and pulling at the stiff peaks that were heaving under my hand. Both of her hands let go of the sheets that she had been gripping, one hand came to rest on top of mine while the other caressed my head between her thighs. Her body began to shake as I plunged my tongue into her, as far as I could before returning to her clit.

Her moans grew louder and the heat between my legs grew, my own wetness soaking my underwear, clinging to my thighs. My body was shivering in it’s own anticipation and I shot my other hand down to my own clit, rubbing it and moaning into her. I couldn’t take much more and neither could she. 

“Don’t touch yourself Scar, I wanna make you come.” Those words alone could have made me come but I stopped touching myself knowing the wait would make it feel so much better.

I could tell she was finished when her legs tightened around my head bringing me closer to her arching body. I continued to lick at her until she rode out the aftermath of her orgasm, I pressed a kiss to her stomach after her legs let go of me. I pulled myself onto the bed, and she gave me a soft smile.

Harley pulled me up from between her thighs and pushed me to the center of the bed, my head falling between the pillows. She quickly yanked down the underwear that had been soaked through.

“Harls,” I moaned out as her hand gently massaged my core, she laid on top of me, kissing me. I arched into her hand,  _ God I want to come, I want her to make me come. _

She eased her fingers into me and it felt so fucking good, she started off slow but my back arched as she began to pick up the pace. Her eyes never left mine as she continued to tease me with her changing tempo. I felt her tongue lick a stripe up my neck from my collar bone to my lips. I gripped her hair and crushed her mouth to mine. 

I felt her fingers begin to pick up the pace again and I was right there on the edge.  _ I swear if she slows down again I’m gonna fucking scream.  _ Except she didn’t slow down, she kept getting faster and faster and rougher. I felt her lean down to the side of my face and bite at my earlobe before pressing a gentle kiss on my cheek. 

“Are you gonna come for me bunny?”

I couldn’t answer so I just nodded my head furiously,  _ I’m so fucking close please don’t stop!  _ I felt her free hand come up to wrap around my throat and squeeze with the slightest bit of pressure. 

“I need words Scar, are you gonna come for me?”

“Yes, God yes I’m gonna fucking come Harls please, please let me come…” her mouth covered mine and swallowed the rest of my sentence as I fell apart on her hand. I reached down to cover the hand that was between my thighs and slowed down its ministrations when it became a bit too sensitive. 

“How many orgasms have you ever had in one night bunny?” She asked while placing gentle kisses on the side of my neck.

“Huh? I don’t know...maybe three, or four I think. I wasn’t really counting if I’m being honest.” 

She giggled before kissing her way down my stomach, “I’m gonna break that record.”

_ Fine by me, I’ll worry about consequences in the morning. _


	17. What's the Moral of my Story?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot chapter 17, sorry it's so short but never the less it's still important so...enjoy!

I can safely say that this was the first time I have ever been the one to wake up alone from a one night stand.  _ Was it a one night stand? I don’t even fucking know.  _ It wasn’t a bad night by any means,  _ she probably had to run back home to Joker, no don’t even think like that Scar, it’s not any of your fucking business anymore. _

“You have bigger things to worry about Scar.”

_ Scarlett I need to speak with you about something, are you free this afternoon? _

It was from Bruce. I haven’t seen him since I officially moved out of the manor a couple days ago. I was currently staying in an AirBNB that might end up becoming a permanent residence. It was a fairly nice place, and the lady that rented it out was very understanding when I told her I needed a fresh start. She didn’t recognize me with the scar and bald head or she just didn’t keep up to date with current affairs. She probably thought I was running away from something and in a way she would be right.

_ Yeah absolutely, what time? _

What the hell could he have to talk to me abou?  _ Could it have to do with the Joker?  _ There still hasn’t been any news about him and Harley prowling the streets. Bruce had said that they would slip up soon.

_ Around 6. _

I didn’t respond with words I just sent a thumbs up emoji, he needs to lighten up sometimes, the man is so fucking serious.

I woke up to the sound of banging at the door, I had decided to take a quick nap before he showed up. I knew that it was him because the alarm clock on my bedside read 6:33.

I hopped out of bed and ran to the front door to see him standing there dressed in a well fitting suit.  _ Jee way to make feel like a dumpster fire, he must have just come from Wayne Tech. _

“Hey Bruce, come on in, make yourself at home,” I stood aside so that he could enter. Tallon immediately came up to him wanting pets once he knew who it was. 

“Hi Tallon, Scarlett can we sit?”  _ Okay serious Bruce is making me really scared. _

“Yeah of course, you’re making me nervous Bruce, what’s going on?” He gestured for me to sit with him and I did.

“Last night I apprehended Harley Quinn, but the Joker got away.”  _ God dammit Harley! _

“What happened?” I stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen to pour us some drinks, mainly so I could emote without him seeing, the drink wasn’t alcohol, I haven’t been able to stomach the stuff since that night.

“They were leading a car chase through downtown, I believe that they were trying to draw me out. The car crashed into the bay, Joker got out of the car as it was going down, but Harley was still inside. She was going to drown so she was the main priority.” He accepted the glass of peach lemonade and took a drink before setting it back down.  _ He probably doesn’t wanna seem rude. _

“Is she at Arkham?”

“No and that’s the issue, they took her to a secure location in Louisiana.”  _ Wait I’m confused. _

“How is that an issue, Arkham is too obvious and easily broken into. Why is this a bad thing?”

“I don’t have clearance to that facility and that’s not a good thing,”  _ oh. _ “I’m worried that now that she’s locked up that he’ll come after you Scarlett. I want you to move back into the manor.”  _ Oh now the meeting makes sense. _

“Bruce I really can’t, I was with you for a month and I can’t impose like that again. It’s just not who I am.”

He shook his head, “you weren’t an imposition Scar.”

“Well I felt like one Bruce, you won’t change my mind about this. I appreciate that you care but I can defend myself, trust me Bruce...everything is gonna be okay.”

_ Keep lying to yourself Leta. _

* * *

_ “You have shown outstanding growth Leta.” I can’t remember when he started calling me that, it had seemed so natural that I never noticed. I was standing in his room, it was an odd place to be as he seemed inhuman most days. I could never imagine him sleeping, not like everyone else. _

_ “Thank you master, I wish only to serve the League, serve you.” I loved him, and it was stupid of me to do so. It made me weak, vulnerable, a target for everyone outside the door.  _

_ “You serve the League well Leta, I am proud. The first day you came here I saw nothing but a frightened, lonely child, abandoned by those that she wanted near. What did you learn in your first week here?” His words hurt, they were a constant tool in his arsenal, used so often so that they would eventually not hurt anymore.  _

_ “That the League will bring about balance, that the world is vile, cruel, wicked and must burn before rising from the ashes. That my life is meaningless, it’s only purpose is to the cause. That attachment will be my downfall…” _

_ “You seem to have disregarded that last lesson Leta.”  _

_ “Master?” _

_ “Attachments are a weakness are they not?” _

_ “Yes...yes they are Master.” _

_ “Then why do you insist on forming them Leta?” _

_ “I don’t understand Master, I have formed no attachment to anyone besides you.” _

_ “That is precisely my point.” Does he know? How could he know? _

_ “But, I...I don’t understand, you are my Master, my teacher...you told me to not trust anyone but you. Was it a test?” _

_ “No, you were meant to obey me, to learn from me, to grow and be wise. None of that included ridiculous sentiments such as love Leta.” _

_ “I love no one Master.” _

_ “You really think me a fool Leta?” _

_ “No Master, of course not…” _

_ “Then do not lie to me Leta! Speak your true feelings Leta, I will not harm you, we must move on from our mistakes without repeating them.” _

_ “Master...I, I can’t talk about my feelings. It does not benefit the cause, they do not matter.” _

_ “You’re right, however that does not matter right now.” _

_ “Master please…” _

_ “Leta!” _

_ “You! I love you!”  _

_ That night he told me that my feelings were weak and unnecessary even while he took my body. I let him, and I continued to let him because I thought that I loved him. When I left, his room was the first place that I burned to the ground. I still remember seeing the flames in contrast to the snowy peaks of the mountains that housed the League, I still remember the screams. He has to be dead, it couldn’t have all been for nothing. _


	18. Hope Isn't Getting Us Anywhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a good feeling when we finally enter movie territory. Enjoy!

**Third Person POV**

Amanda Waller could accurately be described as the teacher who scared you shitless, who made you dread going to school every morning. If that teacher toted a gun everywhere and had the means to make your death look like an incident that is. The point is, is that no one ever wanted to fuck with Amanda Waller.

Don’t let her rough exterior fool you though, underneath it all was a woman who had to fight both racism and sexism to get to the top of her game, and yet she still had the fear of rejection that could come from the people that she was meeting with tonight. 

The world had been fucked since The Man of Steel showed that he really wasn’t invincible, even across the pond Gotham was feeling the repercussions, and Waller thought that she had the solution to fix what hadn’t even come yet.

She was meeting her fellow superiors in a private restaurant, the kind that only big money could buy, to tell them of her plan.

“It’s taken some work...but I finally have them. The worst of the worst from all over the world.” Waller said with a smile.

“It’s rumored Amanda that some of them have...abilities.”

“Oh well the rumors are right, and some of them are as human as you and me, yet somehow they’re even more dangerous. You know what the problem with a metahuman is? The human part, we got lucky with Superman, he was on our side, the next one might not be.” 

The problem with humanity is its inability to understand what being human is.

“What you’re proposing is dangerous Amanda, you won’t have full control in situations like these.” The man to her left said while calling over a waiter to refill his glass of bourbon.

“Oh I’ll have full control, now sit back and listen, because it’s one hell of a ride.”

The men listened in intrigue as Waller went through the names of Deadshot, one of the best marksmen in the country, who’s only weakness was loving someone a little too much. Diablo, a man with an ability that got the better of him. Killer Croc, a man who was more animal than man due to society being an asshole. Boomerang, a mouthy aussie who got a bit too cocky for his own good. Dr Moone, a poor possesed girl, who ended up being a really bad archeologist, and Harley Quinn, who doesn’t show much weakness, but who just was in a bad place at a bad time and suffered lasting repercussions.

“Lastly, Scarlett Korin, real name Sarala Lane, goes by Scar. We first learned about Scar when she was imprisoned in Arkham Asylum by the Batman after she robbed Bruce Waynes’ Manor”

“No offence Waller but this is the second thief you’ve put in this line up, is there anything else she can do? Or should we just start taking random people out of the lineup at blackgate as well?” He was sarcastic, he didn’t take this idea as seriously as Amanda did. He couldn't understand that this was years in the making.

“I was getting to that Richards. Ms Korin is more than just some thief in line up. She’s stolen from every major crime boss in Gotham city and lived to tell the tale about it until she was locked up in Arkham where she was neighbors with none other than the Joker himself. She was Harley Quinn’s patient along with him as well. Rumor has it that her and the Joker have been working together since she escaped. Aside from her tech skills she has also been trained under the secret society known as the League of Shadows.”

“If it’s so secret how do you know about Amanda?”

“We apprehended one of their members when they were attempting to steal top secret files from one of our facilities, he put up a hell of a fight as well. He wasn’t willing to talk so we had to employ some means of extracting truth that have been in the works for a while, the man sang like a canary. Told us that he was sent there by the League for two reasons, to collect the files and to bring in Sarala Lane. She apparently betrayed and left the League about three years ago and her arrest was the signal flare they had been waiting for.” 

“What can she do though Amanda?” That was a loaded question.

“Let me ask you a question, do you think the Joker, the man who’s notorious for doing everything on his own, would work with someone who wasn’t good at what she does?”

“How dangerous is she?” 

“Let’s just say that she may be last on this list but when it comes to her threat level I would place her right below Enchantress, do not underestimate her.”

“Isn’t she just some jumped up assassin Waller? We have a million of those waiting in special ops, she wouldn’t have gotten arrested by Batman if she was as good as you say.”

Those with similar training tend to be the most dangerous to one another.

“She was next in line to lead the League of Shadows, Anderson. She is not meant to be taken lightly...not to mention that she has the skills to break into every single one of our servers in the blink of an eye, we’re lucky she hasn’t had the desire to.” 

“Where is she now?”

Where she’s always been.

“In Gotham still, we’ve been tracking her down ever since she escaped Arkham. She’s gone dark a few times but we know exactly where she’s staying now.”

“Tell me, do you really expect her, or hell any of them to easily comply?”

“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating  _ me  _ Anderson.” Too many people have done that in the past. 

The dinner was concluded with Wallers’ plan being allowed to be brought into the board that would pass it along to the next level. After that, well who knows, maybe a group of bad guys could do some actual good. 


	19. Knock, Knock It's The Government

**One Month Later**

_ Hey Bruce heard that there was a commotion going on in the subway, just call and let me know if it’s something we’re worrying about.  _

I hit send on the text. I’ll admit that my new job wasn’t going as badly as I thought it would, which surprised me. Then again I never expect anything to go as well as they have been. Bruce and I worked well together, better than I thought we would actually, he has a bit of a pessimistic outlook on life that I’ve been trying to sway him from, it hasn’t worked yet but we’ll get there. We’ve been meeting every Sunday for training and Alfred’s amazing cooking, that is as long as work doesn’t pull him away. You would think it would mainly be Batman stuff that keeps him busy but Wayne Tech I’ve learned, is a bitch to manage.

I received a message back almost instantly. 

_ Already spoke with GCPD, they said that it’s the government's jurisdiction. So as of right now keep your phone close in case things develop. _

_ Will do.  _

I put my phone away after hitting the green arrow and put my car in drive, well I say my car but Bruce actually bought it. I fought against him on it but he said it was cheap enough to not get stolen and under a different name so I wouldn’t be associated with him. He claimed it was ‘for all the good work I’ve done so far.’ I told him he was a show off and a softie but ended up taking the car anyway. 

I was in town grabbing some chinese for lunch when an announcement about a disturbance in the Gotham subway system came over the tv in the restaurant. I had immediately texted Bruce about it as per my unofficial job description which led me to getting my food to go and racing back home so that I could monitor from my computer if need be.

Once I pulled into the driveway I immediately noticed that something was wrong. Tallon was always looking through the window when I came home, he didn’t bark of course unless he knew it wasn’t me. This time however he was nowhere near the window. I grabbed my gun and knife from the glove box before tucking both into my jeans and exiting my car, slamming the door loudly and locking it until it beeped in the hopes of inducing movement inside. Tallon still didn’t show up at the window,  _ something is definitely wrong.  _

I walked to the door,  _ no sign of forced entry, could have been picked.  _ I ‘accidentally’ dropped my keys to the ground so that I could do a quick sweep of the surrounding area,  _ nothing out of the ordinary. If someone is here they know what the hell they’re doing.  _

I unlocked the door and pulled out my gun and knife before swiftly turning the knob and immediately being bombarded on all sides by men in tactical gear. I got a few shots off by falling to the floor, letting them topple over each. There were too many of them and they were all more heavily armed than I was.  _ I’m not gonna make it out of this.  _

After my gun was knocked out my hand by one man I grabbed the unused rifle by his side and incapacitated him by wrapping the body strap around his neck, tightening it till he struggled to breathe. He wasn’t choking yet but one move and he would be.

“One wrong move and I snap his neck,” I pointed the rifle between the six men in the room who had their guns all pointed at me. I was smaller than the guy in front of me, it would be hard for them to get a shot at me without hitting him. “Who the hell are you all working for and why are you here?”

“Let him go lady you’re not getting out of this.” A man on the right said, he had a mustache and looked like your typical army dude, bulky but not overly large. 

“It’s okay Flag, she’ll let him go.” I looked over to the hallway to see a woman come walking out, yanking Tallon behind her by his leash with a muzzle around his mouth. When he saw me he got excited and tried to get to me but he was pulled back by her. I immediately pointed the gun at her which got all of the men agitated.

“Let him go!” 

She pulled a gun out from her side and pointed it at Tallon who just sat beside her, he growled next to her and struggled to get away from her. “You let my man go, I let yours go...deal?”

“You’re really gonna shoot a defenceless animal huh?”  _ Sick psycho bitch. _

She just smiled and cocked her gun, “I never had a pet so I don’t really see the appeal.” 

_ Oh fuck me. _

I unwrapped the strap from around the man's throat before pushing him away. He fell to the ground grabbing his throat, gasping for air.  _ That was a stupid move, you know she’s not gonna let him go Scar. _

Once the man was picked up off the floor, the mystery lady nodded at the man named Flag, who started walking towards me with two other men. I didn’t resist, I didn’t want him to get hurt and there was no point. They grabbed both of my arms and pushed forward causing me to bend over before I felt a sharp pain on the back of my neck.  _ Jesus that fucking burns! _

The men swiftly backed away once the burning went away, “what the hell do you just put in my neck?!” 

She chuckled, “just a little insurance, and something to make you a bit more compliant Sarala.” 

_ What the fuck,  _ “how do you know that name?”

She unclipped Tallon’s leash and let him run to me. I quickly dropped to my knees to give him a hug and took the muzzle off of his face. “I know everything Sarala. My name is Amanda Waller and you and a few others have been recruited to oversee a problem in Gotham. I’m sure you’ve heard about the incident with the subway this morning. We are sending you and this group in to neutralize the threat.”

“I didn’t know that the government employed criminals now.”  _ It’s actually brilliant, hire criminals so everything could be blamed on them. _

“We’re trying new things.”

“And why the fuck should I help you?” 

“Because if you don’t then the little bomb that was just put in your neck goes boom. Simple as that. Now go suit up Sarala we leave in ten minutes.”  _ Well she sure does have me there. _

“I go by Scar now just in case that wasn’t in my file.” I stood up from the floor, Tallon took a seat by my side.

“Oh no it was, right next to all of the information we’ve gathered on The League of Shadows. I’m just electing to ignore it. Now suit up...oh and if you even think about running the bomb goes off and your pet dies. Keep it at the forefront of your mind Sarala.”

_ They know all of your secrets Leta, how unfortunate for you.  _

I shook his voice away before making my way into my room to grab the box in the back of the closet along with the katana hidden along the wall. Every single gun was trained on me as I walked past them. When I closed the door behind me I let out a scream before my fist made contact with plaster, leaving behind a hole,  _ don’t let your anger get the best of you Scar. _

I pulled out my stealth suite and mask just like I had two months ago.

_ Such a pretty outfit Scar, did you come all dressed up just for me? _

Unwanted tears came to my eyes before I blinked them away and stripped to get into my suit. 

I attached my Katana to my side as well my holsters for my knives and gun if they let me have mine back. 

I took a look in the mirror,  _ this is the last fucking time you are ever going to wear this outfit Scar, it’s getting burned after this.  _

_ Your appearance matters more than you think Leta. Right now you are one among many but as you rise through my ranks it will show.  _

I never did get that new uniform.

I pulled my half mask over my mouth leaving my eyes and still bald head exposed, my hair hasn’t grown back as much as I would have liked in this last month. I grabbed my phone from my discarded jeans on the ground and shot off a quick text to Bruce.

_ Something has happened, I know you’ll figure it out. I’m sorry, thank you for everything. _

I pulled out the Wayne Tech chip and crushed it beneath my boot before discarding the phone,  _ your secret is safe with me Bruce.  _

I walked out of the door to see two jumped up security men stationed on either side, I elected to not say anything to them. They walked behind me as I made my way to the living room. When I walked in I saw Tallon laying on the ground, and Waller was waiting by the door staring at her phone. He wasn’t moving, and he wasn’t breathing.

I ran to him,  _ please just be sleeping buddy, please,  _ “hey Tallon, wake up buddy...come on,” I shook him stupidly thinking that that would bring him back. Tears fell on to his fur and he still didn’t move. No response, nothing. He looked like he was taking a nap.

“It’s time to move out Sarala.”

My katana came flying into my hand, the blade was once again an extension of my arm, like it had never left, and in a way it hadn’t. I had the tip of the blade pressed against Waller’s throat, “what did you do to him?! He didn’t do anything! You said you wouldn’t hurt him!”

She held up her phone, it had multiple boxes on it with my face being the only one on the screen at the moment, “be careful with your next actions Sarala…”

“Stop fucking calling me that!”

“One wrong move and I press this button. As for him...I just gave him a treat, who would have known he would react so badly. You should thank me really, people like you can’t afford to have weaknesses, did they not teach you that in the League? Now put away the sword Sarala, it’s time to go.”  _ People like you don’t deserve to die quickly Amanda Waller.  _

I felt a gun being pressed into my back as I quickly sheathed my blade.

_ I’m beginning to think that you’re cursed Leta, it seems that the more you gain the quicker you lose. I was there at your beginning Leta, it seems I’ll be there at your end as well. _


	20. So We’re Some Kind of Suicide Squad?

“Korin you’re with me, out of the car! Are those assholes here yet?” We had been driving for a solid thirty minutes to a secluded part of Gothams’ airport and had finally arrived. Waller had taken a different car to a seperate part of the city from what I could overhear.  _ Not a very smart idea if you ask me, especially if things get worse in the city. _

When we stepped out of the car we were surrounded by soldiers, special ops if my guess on their uniform was correct. I could feel a lot of eyes on me as one of them came to stand by Flag.

“They’re waiting for us sir, she one of them?” He gestured to me and he looked a bit nervous when he noticed the katana,  _ I can’t really blame him, I was scared shitless when I first met someone in the League. _

Flag let a small laugh, “yeah but don’t worry, as long as she’s got that bomb in her neck she’s harmless to us. Alpha, Bravo team on me!”  _ Harmless, me, really?  _

We started walking towards a different area that was housing the soldiers and their weapons. I could see a few people being wheeled in from the opposite side. The first person, or if he even was a person, that I saw was large and scaly and just plain fucking scary. 

“Oh what the hell Flag?” I heard the man from before say when he saw the same thing that I did.

“Scar? Oh my God Scar is that you?!” A familiar voice from the back of the line said. I looked around the others,  _ oh no fucking way. _

“Harley?” I looked to Flag for confirmation on the person that I was seeing, he just smirked.

“Waller said you two might know each other. Unlock em’.” The soldiers standing beside the criminals unstrapped them from their chairs,  _ I guess these are the men I’m , ‘working’ with _ . As soon as Harley was free she came running to me with guns aimed on her. I met her half way so that the soldiers would chill the fuck out. 

“Ahhh, this insane Scar, you're joining the party too? God I’ve missed you so much!” She screamed as she pulled me into a hug.  _ Not surprising that prison hasn’t changed her all that much. _

“I’ve missed you too Harley, how was prison?” Oddly enough I meant the words that I said as I looked her over.

“Eh I’ve been through worse, ya ever fell into acid. That shit burns like a bitch, oh where are my manners, hi boys! Harley Quinn…” She tried introducing herself but the men just gave her blank stares, she shrugged and turned back to me.

Then she pulled my mask down and kissed me without any warning as she was prone to do, and somehow it always caught me off guard, even knowing her the way I do. Her kiss was rough and actually well received. She pulled away with a few gentle nips to my bottom lip and nose before pulling my mask back over my face.

“God I’ve really missed you, hm. Love the outfit by the way I think I’ve told you before but black is definitely your color.”  _ I think you’ve said something like that before. _

“Yeah and orange is definitely not yours.”  _ That’s a lie, I’m sure she could pull off anything. _

“Ouchie baby you hurt me.” She wrapped her arms around me in a long hug and I heard her yell at the men over my shoulder. “What the fuck are you all staring at?!” 

I saw that everyone who had been staring at us quickly looked away, it made me laugh. Looking to my right I saw Flag walking over to a car that was pulling up to the base. A few men got out before pulling a body bag behind them,  _ oh don’t tell me we’ve got someone who can come back from the dead. _

“Oh well what do we have here? Twelve pounds of shit in a ten pound sack, welcome to the party Captain Boomerang.” I heard Flag say as he let the wriggling body out of the bag causing a large man to burst through and punch the nearest soldier.

“What kind of fucking name is Captain Boomerang?” I heard Harley whisper, but not whisper, beside me. I just shrugged at her and looked back at the commotion. I saw Flag along with a few of his men subdue the Cpt. before he held up his hands in surrender.

“Hey look at me! You better calm the fuck down!”

Captain Boomerang looked stupidly confused in an attempt to be innocent. “What’s going on here, one minute I was with my best mates having a pint…”

“Shut the fuck up you were caught robbing a diamond store asshole.”  _ Aww I remember robbing my first diamond store, of course I didn’t get caught. _

“I was not!”  _ Yeah I don’t think you would be here if you were an innocent buddy.  _ I heard Harley laugh beside me at his accent and antics.

Another car was pulling up behind the one that Boomerang came out of. I could see a handcuffed man with twin braids being spoken to by a woman standing next to him. Next thing I knew the lady was getting headbutted by the hulking brute before getting restrained by the other soldiers.

“Damn!”  _ That looked like it really fucking hurt. _

“Listen up assholes!” Flag had walked to the center of the base to address all of us. “The thing in your necks, the injections you got, is a nanite explosive…”  _ just call it a tiny bomb you prick.  _ “It may be small but it packs a punch. Now if you disobey me, you die, you try to escape, guess what, you die. If you otherwise irritate or vex me and…”

“Let me guess we die,” I said, it made Harley giggle.

“Bingo.” He pointed at me and then threw a sarcastic thumbs up my way.

“Hey Mr officer army brat, I’ve been known to piss off people very easily so…”  _ Harley really has no filter does she? _

“Lady shut the fuck up right now! Now here’s what's gonna happen, since y'all wanna know why you’re here. You’re gonna go somewhere that no one else would ever wanna go, to do something that will probably kill all of you. Now until that happens you’re all my problem.” 

“Dude you really need to work on your speeches.” Harley said to me under her breath but the man beside us heard.

“Yeah cause if that was it I’d hate to see our team trust building day, cause if I’m being honest I wouldn’t trust you to catch me if you even if you were on my ass after that.”  _ At least a few people in this group here have a sense of humor. _

“I don’t give two fucks, there’s your shit, pack up, wheels out in ten.” Flag said while gesturing to a few trunks on one side of the base. 

I walked up to him before he could leave. “Hey Flag you never gave me my gun back.”

“From my point of view it doesn’t seem like you need one.” He pointed at the Katana on my hip.

“No I don’t need one but having one would sure be nice.”  _ Especially considering you haven’t told us what the hell we’re up against.  _

He reached for the holster on his side and pulled out a gun and a few clips before handing it to me. It was nothing fancy, probably the same thing they give everyone here, but it was better than nothing.

“Much appreciated.” I turned to walk away from and headed over to Harley who was going through her trunk. “Hey Harl’s you got anything extra in there that I could borrow?”

“Nothing that really fits your style bunny, unless ya like leather, which I’m sure ya do. Hey cover me while I get dressed will ya?” She asked with a quick wink in my direction.

“Cover you with what Harley?”  _ It’s not like I have a pop up tent hidden on me. _

“Yourself, just scoot on up close.” She said while grabbing her outfit out of the bottom of her trunk. It was a red and blue ensemble with barely there shorts, a top and ridiculous heels.  _ You’re kidding me right? _

“Harley how the hell is this practical to fight in?” I asked, yanking the booty shorts out of her hands.

“Look I don’t judge what you wear, don’t judge me ok.” She yanked them back out of my hands.

“I’m not judging, just worrying.” I really was worried, she’s not protected at all in this outfit.

“Aww and I appreciate it bunny.” Her voice was patronizing and to top it off she pinched my cheek as well. She started to strip and put on her outfit and I did my best to cover her and glare at any of the men that stared a bit too long.

I looked over at the man beside us who was dressed in a red stealth suit, which really isn’t very stealthy when you think about it. He was holding a white mask in his hand but didn’t put it on.

“Mask don't fit anymore?” I jokingly asked, it made him laugh.

“Let me guess too much junk in the trunk?” Harley said beside me as she was putting makeup on.  _ I don’t really think that the makeup is gonna help you fight better Harls. _

“Nah, just everytime I put this on...somebody dies.”  _ Same with me and this outfit dude.  _ Then something clicked in my brain.

“Wait a damn minute. You’re Deadshot aren’t you?” 

“Yeah who’s asking?”  _ Pat on the back you detective you. _

“Korin, I worked a case with you, we never met in person of course but I was where all the information came from. Small world huh?” I held out my hand for him to shake which he did.

“Korin? Oh shit, yeah I remember you, helped me out big time. I didn’t think that they were bringing ninjas into the field.”  _ Oh very fucking funny. _

“Don’t call me a ninja and we might just get along Floyd.”

“We shouldn’t be getting along...this is a suicide mission, they’re leading us to our deaths.” A short man said as he came to stand join the little gathering we had going on. He had tattoos covering his face and I think that his name was Diablo, I could be wrong though.

“Speak for ya self mate. Also what’s with the shit on both of your faces? Does it wash off?” He gestured to both Diablo and I,  _ give me strength to not kill this man where he stands. _

“Oooo if you like a girl can ya light her cigarette with your pink, cuz I’m just saying that would be real classy.”  _ Give me strength to not beat the idiocracy out of this girl as well please. _

“Come on Harley…”

“What? It’s a genuine question.”

“Leave the man that causes fires alone Harls.” She pouted at me,  _ doesn’t change anything. _

“You’re no fun.”

I heard Flag yell for us to huddle up like we were a damn football team. We all made our way over to see him holding a tablet in front of him,  _ what the fuck? _

“Behold the voice of God.”

Then the woman who I would rather never see again popped up onto the screen.

“For those of you that don’t know me officially my name is Amanda Waller,”  _ yeah the woman currently at the top of my shit list.  _ “There’s an active attack on Gotham City. Your mission and you have no choice but to accept is to enter the city, rescue HVT1 and get them to safety.”

Deadshot looked at me confused before raising his hand like we were in school. “Wait, I’m sorry, I speak neither agent or good guy. Who the hell is HVT1?”

“It doesn’t matter who it is, all that matters is bringing them to safety. Do this and you get time off of your sentence. If you fail this mission, you die, and if anything happens to Col Flag...you die. I see every move you make, remember that.” With that being said the screen went back to black.

“There’s your peptalk assholes.” Flag said before hopping off of his soapbox.

“Well from where I’m standing she just murdered your speech. So what we’re just some kind of suicide squad?” Floyd asked, but he got no response from Flag.

“Forget that, at this point we’re the walking dead.”

  
  


  
  
  
  



	21. Scars Don't Have to Mean More

“Come on Scar you can cozy up right next to me.” Harley said to me when she sat down in the helicarrier and patted the seat next to her. I couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement, her excitement for us possibly being led to our deaths.

“Alright Harls but no funny business.” I sat beside her and felt her wrap her hands around my arm and give it a quick squeeze. She rested her head against my bicep and pressed a quick kiss there.

“Oh I wouldn’t dream of it bunny.”

We took off and made our way over the city, hitting a few rough patches of turbulence along the way. I looked out of the window to see burning buildings and smoke rising into the sky.  _ What in the hell are they bringing us into? _

“Jesus, what the fuck is actually going on here Flag?” I turned to look at him and he gave me a blank face in return. 

“None of your business Korin, now sit back down!” There was a big jolt making the aircraft shake so I did just that and buckled back in.  _ I’m sitting because I could die, not because he told me to. _

“Correct me if I’m wrong Flag but you made this our business when you brought us in, now what’s actually going on?” I asked once I sat back down, he was getting visibly angry now. 

“And I’ll say it again, none of your damn business!” The whole aircraft was silent, except for Harley who let out a soft giggle.

I looked over at her and smiled but she couldn’t see it, a small light appeared in her hand and I saw that she had a phone in her lap.  _ How does she have a phone? Wait, why does she have a phone? _ I ended up being nosy and saw that she had a message that she was looking at as well. I knew from my quick glance that it was from Joker, simply going based on the little face near the message box. 

_ I'M COMING FOR YOU BE READY _

Anger that I thought was gone suddenly resurfaced. Anger for what happened to me and anger at Harley being around the psychopath. I shouldn’t even be angry at her for being with him but I am. 

_ She knows what he did to you Leta, she’s seen every inch of it, she just doesn’t care. _

“Don’t worry bunny he’ll get you out too, I’m not leaving without ya.”  _ I would rather walk on nails and glass then see that bastard again, let alone get help from him.  _

“That’s sweet Harley but I can find my own way out of my messes, I’ll be fine.” My voice was sickeningly sweet and drenched in bitter undertones.

“Aww don’t be like that Scar…”  _ Don’t be like that? Don’t fucking be like that? Like what Harley, like what? _

“Harley…”

“Alright, alright, will ya at least accept  _ my  _ help?” She batted her eyes at me as though it would make a difference.

I shook my head no, “not if it's connected to him I won’t.”

“Jeez fine.” She turned away from me to glance around the plane, off in her own little world. 

“Oi I don’t know much about reptiles but he shouldn’t be that green should he?” I heard Boomerang ask from farther down the plane. He was gesturing towards Croc who did look really pale, or more like light green on him. I blinked and the next thing I knew he was throwing up on the floor of the plane, and it smelled exactly how you would expect a man who eats nothing but raw meat to smell like.

“Jesus scaley not cool!” Harley said while holding her nose, I had to look away and not breathe through my nose or I was liable to throw up as well. I couldn’t blame Croc though, it seems like he’s pretty used to being content on the ground.

We continued to fly over the city and Harley was getting bored so she decided to have a look out the window.

“Oooo shiny. Scar, Scar come look at the pretty lights.” She tapped my shoulder and I stood up from my seat to turn around and look at what she was seeing. There were clouds in the sky but there was one insane swirl that looked like an inverted tornado. It was as if lightning was going off inside of the cloud, it was freaky.

“That’s not natural Harley.” I told her before turning to sit back in my chair, I looked over at Deadshot who took a glance out the window as well, before turning to look at Flag.

“What happened?” If Flag felt anything he sure didn’t show it.

“Usual terrorist bullshit. Like I told Korin, that’s all you need to know.”  _ How does not telling the people that are dealing with a situation what the situation is, a good idea? _

“Yeah I gotcha, ya know I would believe you if you weren't such a bad liar.” Now that made Flag look angry.

“Scar I gotta feelin’ this is gonna be real fun.” Harley said when she was done looking out of the window.  _ We’re all gonna die.  _

“It’s not gonna be fun Harley, I need you to be serious. I don’t want you getting killed out there.”  _ Why is it that Diablo and Deadshot are the only serious ones of the bunch, hell even the Slipknot dude is serious, he hasn’t said much but he seems pretty serious to me. _

“Awww you really do care bunny.”  _ Maybe...I’ll never admit it though. _

Suddenly I could feel the plane getting shot at, I could hear the clanging of bullets as they ricocheted off of the aircraft. Then we started to spin and my head slammed into the wall from the force.  _ Now I really might be sick. If I die from a plane crash I’m gonna be really fucking pissed off.  _ I felt Harley grab onto my hand, she was screaming beside me, with the occasional laugh thrown in. She squeezed when we hit the ground but we continued to roll. 

Finally it stopped and I could breathe again. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt so that I could get the fuck off of this machine.

“God I think I popped my shoulder out of place.” I said while rolling everything and checking over the areas that hurt. Harley walked up right behind me and rubbed the tender area.

“Nah ya didn’t but that was one hell of a ride wasn’t it?”

“This place looked like it got hit first by the apocalypse.” The streets were barren, signs for a mandatory evacuation flashing everywhere. Founder’s Island looked like absolute shit. Everything was surrounded by smoke and random fires.  _ What are really up against? _

Flag told us to move out and we started moving in towards the city along with the squadron. I kept a steady pace keeping up with the boys up front until I noticed Boomerang and Slipknot talking to each other, the first looked like he was up to no good.  _ I am not dying because of his stupidity.  _ I slowed down to match his pace when he left Slipknot alone.

“Don’t be an idiot Boomerang.”

He laughed at me, “yeah and don’t be a killjoy, ninja turtle...ya never did say, what’s up with the scars? Oh wait nevermind don’t tell me cuz your name is Scar, I get it now.”  _ Wow you are so fucking smart. _

“Oh yeah you hit the nail right on the head, I gave myself scars to match by name, I really am just that fucking clever...fucking dumbass.” I walked away from him,  _ let him get himself killed see if I fucking care. _

We turned a corner at an upcoming street when the commotion broke out, first Boomerang started a fight with one of the soldiers before Slipknot tried to escape by grappling up to the top of a nearby building. I looked over at Flag to see him press something on his arm. Then I looked back at Slipknot to see a small explosion happen at his head, he fell, slamming against the glass of the building window causing it to crack.  _ Boomerang did this shit to see what would happen.  _

“I’m fairly certain that should be illegal.” Deadshot said from the front of the group.

“Yeah but ya gotta admit that it’s a pretty killer app.” Harley replied, laughing at her own joke.

“Jesus Harley…” I said before turning to look at Boomerang, I drew out my katana and the men around me drew their guns and pointed them at me while I advanced. Boomerang saw me coming and backed away into the wall behind him before I pressed my blade against his throat. He was scared and quite possibly turned on. “If you try that shit again I will not hesitate to kill you, cuz guess what, if we fuck up this mission that’s gonna be all of our heads right there. Got it?”

“God that’s so hot.” He mumbled under his breath.  _ Fucking idiot. _

“Can we get a move on Flag?” I heard Deadshot ask when he was done laughing.

“That  _ was  _ really hot bunny.” Harley said when I moved away from Boomerang.

“Stop Harley.” 

Flag started to walk around looking at each of us with annoyance. “Anyone wanna try that shit again? You? How about you Deadshot, you next?”

“You threatening me Flag?”  _ Oh now Floyd is pissed, not good, for Flag at least. _

“You bet your ass I am.”  _ I’d like to see you be this fucking confident if we didn’t have these bombs in our neck, fucking prick.  _

“Hey Scar you single?” Boomerang asked over my shoulder before getting punched and falling to the ground. I turned back around and went to walk beside Deadshot and Harley.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I grumbled under my breath.

“Good you kill him, I kill Flag.”  _ I wouldn’t expect him to be so stupid.  _

“Well ya better do it fast, otherwise it’s gonna be one after the other.” Harley said,  _ no Harls don’t fucking push him on it. _

“Don’t be fucking stupid! Do you really think that he’s the only one that has control over this shit in our necks? Anything happens to him we all die. So don’t be a fucking idiot.” I said before walking ahead. I didn’t get to hear the conversation between Harley and Deadshot after I left them.

We kept a decent pace, constantly on the lookout when I heard a growl from behind me. I turned to see Croc throw Boomerang into the wall beside him, it made me smile.

“Alright you’re officially my favorite person here.” I told him this and he just growled. 

“Hey that hurts Scar!” Harley said while gesturing to herself as if to say ‘look at all this.’

“Yeah well at least he’s not trying to get us all killed, knock it off and you might move up the ranks.”  _ Jesus Scar since when did you become mom? _

“What the hell could have done that?” I asked when we passed by a car that looked like it got hit by Superman's laser vision...ya know if it was evil and gooey.

“I don’t know but it’s exciting isn’t it?” Harley asked, jumping into step beside me.  _ Something is really fucking off here. _

“I’m gonna need you to redefine your definition of exciting Harls.” She just laughed and gave me a smile.

I looked ahead to see Flag hold out his fist, the universal sign for stop. He talked to someone on his walkie before turning to address us.

“On my way...move out.” Half of Flags men moved to another location while the rest of them went with him to check out some disturbance. I stayed back with everyone else who had bombs in their necks. 

“I’m starting to think that the odds just may be in our favor.” Boomerang said beside me.  _ Are they still on about this? Did the man's neck exploding not put them off their idea in the slightest? _

“Go ahead keep on not listening to me, I’m gonna go up there and protect Flag’s ass while the rest of you get your heads blown off, have fun.” I went around the car to go to the rest of the group.

“God, the things I wanna do to that girl.”  _ Ewww, yeah just let me lower my standards and I’ll be right with ya.  _ I heard him grunt and I turned around to see Harley hit him in the stomach with the end of her bat.  _ Awww good girl.  _

“Back off you aussie fuck.”  _ I could kiss her for that. _

“Stay here for a sec guys, something doesn’t feel right.” I heard Deadshot say to them before falling into step beside me. 

“Finally decided to actually listen huh Deadshot?” I asked him but he scoffed.

“Shut up.”

We reached the rest of the soldiers who had taken position behind a few cars and were looking out at a couple people in the street, only they didn’t exactly like people. 

“What the hell are they Flag?” Floyd asked while looking at the people, he had a special scope built into his mask that could zoom in on them,  _ I wish I had something that high tech. _

“Try and run and you die, keep that in mind.”  _ Yeah we heard you the first twenty times Flag. _

“Fuck you Flag I wanna know too, what the hell are they?” 

Suddenly the creatures looked at us and started to charge at us. I quickly pulled out my katana and took my stance, ready to fight. 

“Engage!”

These things were fast and agile, but so was I. Every bit of training kicked in as my blade sliced through their numbers.

_ You’ve missed this Leta, haven’t you? _

I couldn’t help but hear his voice in times like these, when the League’s training would shine through. There were a lot of them, too many to be normal in a terrorist situation, and they weren’t normal.  _ Yeah I’m starting to think that this isn’t a terrorist situation anymore.  _

My pistol came out as well and while my aim was nowhere near the same level as Floyd’s it was still pretty decent. It was odd, these creatures, they didn’t bleed, they just turned to ash. They were relentless, it’s like they didn’t feel pain or anything. They could even climb on the fucking walls for crying out loud.

“Get off me!” I heard Flag yell from behind me. The creatures were trying to carry him off,  _ why weren’t they attacking him. _

“Flag!” One of his men cried out and started to shoot at the things dragging him away.

“Well that takes care of that huh?” Harley said from my left. 

“Harls he dies so do we, now fucking help him!” I ran to him along with her and sliced down a few while she got the others with her. Flag tried to say thanks but I just told him to fuck off.

Everything started to calm down when Floyd got to a higher position and took down the majority of the creatures. It was over, and I looked over to see Harley beating up a corpse that was dissolving with every hit.

“Jesus Harls he’s fucking dead I promise.”

“Well I swear I saw it move.” 

_ I think we are way in over our heads here. _


	22. The Long Night

“Can you all please stop antagonizing the man who makes fire?” I asked when Boomerang started annoying Diablo about his lack of help. _I was pissed off about it too but we all had it under control. Or at least Floyd had it under control, I’m pretty impressed that he could have taken on all of them without our help. He would have done well in the League._

“Sure, since you asked so nicely princess.” He gave me what I’m assuming was supposed to be a seductive smile but it just made me want to punch him even more. It was mainly his teeth that were off putting to me. That and his blatant sexism and lack of basic survival comprehension. _Maybe these are just things that they don't teach ya down under._

“Call me princess again and I chop your dick off.” I turned to talk to Flag who was addressing his men on the other side of the street. “Hey Flag, this sure as fuck doesn’t look like a terrorist attack, you wanna tell us what the hell these things were?” I gestured towards the horde of corpses that laid in the street from our fight and nudged my boot against one's arm, it crumbled underneath my foot.

“I can’t tell you cuz I don’t know.” _Come again? I’m sorry did I just hear you say that you don’t fucking know!?_

“That’s a load of shit Flag, this one over here had a three thousand dollar watch on his wrist. Were all of these things people.” Deadshot asked, coming to stand beside me.

“I guess they were...now they’re not.” _This is the shittiest soldier I have ever met in my life, America’s finest huh?_

“Wow for someone who’s sworn to protect civilians you sure as shit just killed a lot of them, how does that make you feel Flag?” He was angry, very angry, but he didn’t let it get the best of him like others would.

“They weren't civilians anymore Korin.” _Cool motive, still murder._

“Yeah sure, is that what you’re gonna tell yourself to help you sleep at night?” He didn’t respond and turned back to his men. 

“I don’t think he sleeps at all bunny, let me guess Flag, too much PTSD?” Harley questioned behind me, her voice was filled with fake concern. I could see Flag struggle to not reach into his pocket and grab the phone that would get each of us out of his way.

“Let’s move out! We’ve got a job to do.” _Yeah if we don’t all get killed before it’s done._

We walked and walked, why we couldn’t just take an armored car I’ll never know, but it was getting ridiculous. The streets were oddly quiet considering the chaos that tore through them. My entire body was on high alert, every corner contained a possible ambush. Every tall building gave a chance of aerial assault. A city was no place for my training, even one as empty as this.

We were passing by a small high end shopping complex when the sound of glass breaking could be heard. I saw Harley behind me smash in a window and grab a bag from the inside.

“Jesus Harls, seriously, now is not the time for this shit.”

“What? It’s a cute purse.” _Not really, I’ve seen cuter, also ones less expensive._

“Yeah and it’s gonna look real nice covered in dirt when we’re done with the mission.” She gave me a look that said ‘yeah I guess you’re right’ and threw the bag back in the display.

“What the hell is wrong with the lot of you,” Flag asked.

“We’re bad guys it’s what we do.” _Yeah don’t rope me into that, I can safely say that I have never done shit like that before. Stolen property, breaking and entering and many, many more, but never over a stupid handbag._

Flag told us to halt while he called in for more information, I looked over to my left to see Floyd standing in front of a display. I went to go stand beside him and saw that it was a display of children's winter attire. 

“I’m guessing you’re a dad?”

“Yeah...now I can’t really imagine you being a parent, but are you,” he laughed at the thought. _Guess assassins can’t be parents then, good to know just in case I ever wanted to try in the future._

“I was gonna be a mom one second but then another I wasn’t. I think it was the universe's way of telling me that I’m not cut out to be a parent. I wouldn’t wanna bring a kid into this fucked up world anyway.” _Way to overshare Scar._

“I wish I could have been a better person for my girl but this is all I’ve ever known. I know she deserves a better pair of parents but I’d do anything for that girl.”

“I can tell, otherwise I’m sure you wouldn’t have been locked up. She’s lucky though, I never had parents that cared about me like that. I don’t think anyone here ever had that either.”

“You some kind of mind reader?” He was sad. I could tell by his eyes, I can’t imagine the last time he’s heard from his daughter. I can’t imagine missing anyone that much, I had a person but I was past missing them at this point in my life.

“Nah just selective understanding of people.”

I walked back over to Harley and she looked really happy, she sauntered over and threw her arm over my shoulder before giving me a quick kiss and leaning in to whisper in my ear.

“He’s gonna get us out of here Scar.” _I have selective understanding and she has selective hearing, it’s a match made in heaven._

“Harley I told you already, don’t include me in this.” I took her arm off of my shoulder and sped up my pace, wanting to get away from the conversation. 

“I’m not just gonna leave you here. You need to get over it and accept his help.”

“I don’t have to do anything Harley! If I see him again I will kill him and for some fucking reason I know that that would hurt you. I wish you could see how bad he is for you Harls.” _I didn’t realize that he was bad for me until it was too late, you can still get away. Just open your eyes and see it Harls please._

“You’re bad for me too Scar, why aren’t ya telling me to stay away from you?”

“Don’t turn this around on me I haven’t exactly been telling you to come closer either have I?” _That was mean, unnecessarily mean._

“Fuck you Scarlett. I know you, I know the brick walls, the threats and the throwing knives. You are just like him Scarlett and it eats you up inside. You can’t stand that someone got the better of you. Every one as high and mighty as you falls eventually and you hate that it was him. So fuck you Scarlett,” _yeah, very mean indeed._ She turned to walk away from me and I tried to reach out to her but she just shook her head no.

“Harley wait, I’m sorry.” _I don’t even say sorry that often, doesn’t that mean anything?_

“Trouble in paradise love? I’ve been told by many that I offer first class comfort if you’re interested.” I heard Boomerang ask behind me. _I’m gonna fucking kill him._ I know that I couldn’t though so I settled on turning to kick him in the chest so hard that he landed in front of Croc’s feet. He looked up at me as if to say ‘really?’

“You’re currently still my favorite big guy,” he just grunted in response.

We continued onward and Harley refused to look at me the whole time, I saw her make her way towards Croc with a mischievous smile on her face.

“Tell me Croccie why do you eat people?” _Oh Jesus she’s gonna get herself killed._

“It gives me their power.” _That’s an interesting way to look at cannibalism._

“Would you like to eat me?” My mind immediately went on a dirty pathway that I had to veer off of. 

“Harley don’t antagonize him.” She threw a glare my way, and I raised a brow. _I’m only trying to help._

“Shut up Scar I’m just doing my job, remember? It’s what I’m good at.” _What do you want me to say? Oh yes you are a very good psychiatrist Harley, when can I schedule another session? Seriously what the fuck do I say to that?_

“I wouldn’t eat you.” It was a valid answer to give, albeit odd to hear out loud. 

“Awww now I’m hurt, why not?” _Jesus Christ someone change the train track in her brain._

“I don’t want your crazy.” _Oh trust me I don’t think anyone does._

“Yeah says the guy who lives in a sewer.”

“At least I know it’s a fucking sewer.”

“Ahh I get it…”

“Oh do you Harley…” I butted in because I clearly had nothing better to do with my time right now. 

“Stay out of the session Scar...this place is a sewer too, only it’s a fancy one, it’s been built to not look like a sewer right? Humans haven’t shown ya much love have they? I can recommend a good psychiatrist if ya want a number.” Croc pulled his fist back as though he was gonna hit her and my hand went to my katana before he lowered his arm.

“Why are you making him angry,” Diablo asked. _Yeah, maybe you’ll listen to him, after all he shoots fire, the threat of singed hair should speak to anyone._

“Cuz I’m bored, I need a mind I can pry apart and spit in.” No matter how you put that, it really just doesn’t sound right. I looked over and saw her point her bat at me.

“And I think I’ll do you next,” _isn’t this against the patient confidentiality code?_

“Careful with what you say Harley.”

“Scarlett Korin, age 26, really bad family issues. So bad in fact that they’re the reason she can’t get close to anyone. Fearless, but only because she has nothing to lose. Wears the mask to cover up horrible scars that really only matter to her. Manipulative, doesn’t care who gets hurt as long as she can get away scott free. Tell me Scar, what was the reason huh? Did ya think that I would just be good collateral while you ran away from Arkham without a care in the world? You like to think that you’re better than everyone here, but you’re not. You know why? Cuz when it comes down to it you’re no better than me...or Mr J. It stings doesn’t it? ” 

My katana was out faster than you could blink, and she and I were nose to nose, “walk away Harley.”

“Girls play nice, we don’t have time for domestic squabbles.” _That’s such a guy thing to say._

“Fuck off Deadshot, my minds been on the mission since the beginning.”

“Good then why don’t you go up front, keep an eye on Flag?” I put my sword back in its sheath and scoffed. 

“Sure, why not, cuz as soon as you wanna start acting like a leader I’m supposed to follow orders? I don’t think that how this relationship works Floyd...keep Harley company for me will ya?”

I went up to where Flag was as we came upon a building. He gave the signal to lay low while his men scoped out the area. There was a lot of shattered glass everywhere and the building was practically crumbling around us. I felt someone grab my hand and I turned to see Harley with a finger pressed to her lips. She gestured to an elevator and started to drag me away from everyone. 

Once we were inside the miraculously working elevator she pressed the button and waved at everyone below. 

“Harley what are you doing?”

“I needed to get away so I could message J, and I wanted to say I’m sorry.” _Does the sorry come before or after messaging Joker?_

“You don’t need to apologize Harley…” 

“No I do, it was unprofessional and as a therapist I’m very upset at myself...”

“Harley stop it… I’m sorry, I swear on my life I didn’t know what he was gonna do to you. I was so happy to see you when I came to the club because I honestly didn’t know if you were alive or dead, I never wanted anything bad to happen to you. I’m so fucking sorry.” She gave me a sad smile and was about to say something when her phone dinged, a message alert

_IM CLOSE BE READY_

“Please leave with me Scar...please, and after that you’ll never have to see him again, I promise.”

“Harley…” 

Suddenly glass rained down from above us.

  
  



	23. Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork...Bullshit

_ “You know what you have to do Leta...kill them. You’ve come so far my dear, complete your training, take your place by my side. You and I will restore order to this diseased world, all you have to do is strike.” _

_ “What did they do?” I don’t want to do this, don’t make me do this. It’s not right, none of this is right, it’s never been right. _

_ “Does that matter Leta?” Yes! Yes of course it matters, how can you ask that? _

_ “They’re just children Ra’s. They haven’t done anything.” Everything has changed now. _

_ “Are you refusing to do what must be done Leta? Are you ignoring your duties to the League?” No, no, yes I can’t do it anymore, I won’t! _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “How unfortunate...for you...kill her.” _

_ “I’m pregnant!” Everything stopped. _

_ “Leave us!” _

* * *

“Harley watch out!” She ducked as I swung my sword, it missed her head by an inch, but the creature's head was cut off.

She laughed and went to fix her hair, “thanks for that bunny.” I just nodded but then another one crashed in through the glass window. I let Harley deal with this one, the elevator was way too small but she made it work beautifully.  _ Wow I’m a sucker for a powerful woman I guess.  _ She flipped and spinned and walked on fucking walls, it was definitely a sight. 

After she took a final swing at the creature it dropped to ground, it’s head crumbled under the force. She looked over at me and gave me a wink before closing the space between us. I thought she was gonna kiss me but she just gave me a peck on the forehead and pulled my mask over the bottom half of my face.  _ Her fucking lipstick better be smudge proof. _

The elevator doors opened and there stood everyone, geared up and ready for a fight with whatever was waiting on the other side.

“Hey guys fancy meeting you here.” _ She really is too cute for her own good, but also very ridiculous, insanely ridiculous. _

We walked out of the elevator and waited on word from Flag as to where we needed to go. He told us to continue to make our way up to the higher floors. We reached an office floor when Flag got an incoming communication. 

“Hold your positions!” That caused us all to stop, I could faintly hear rustling come from the ceiling and walls around us. 

“Flag I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Floyd said from beside me.  _ These things have to have been following us for them to know where we are. What the fuck are they and where are they coming from? More importantly who are they after? _

“Yeah you and me both Deadshot.” I looked over at him to see him putting on his white mask from earlier. The one that's been absent from his outfit until now. 

“Pussy.”  _ Where the fuck did that come from Harley?  _

“I will knock you the fuck out I do not care that you are a girl.” That made me briefly think about who would win in a fight between the two of them. Probably Floyd, Harley’s fast but even she isn’t faster than bullets, maybe if it was close combat it would be an evenly matched fight, but even then probably not.

“I can’t take you anywhere, can I Harls?” She smiled at me before slowly chomping at the air next to me, I can only assume it meant she wanted to take a bit out of me instead.

“You know you love me.”  _ I wouldn’t go that far, yet, wait...no, never I would never go that far. _

Then plaster from the ceiling began to rain down on us and a horde of the creatures dropped down and smashed through the weak walls. I was too close to one of the walls that caved in and felt myself being thrown into a nearby metal desk. Everything was so fuzzy and I’m sure that I blacked out for a second. I could faintly hear my name being shouted by Harley and Floyd before someone was gently slapping my face.  _ You should have been quicker Scar, how could you let this happen? _

“Come on princess, get up and fight like the rest of us.”  _ Fuck you Boomerang. _

He helped bring me to my feet when I heard Floyd yell from the other side of the room, ‘they’re after Flag again!” I looked over to see Flag being dragged away by his feet.  _ Is he wearing something that makes these creatures go ballistic or something? _

We all made our way over to him, mowing down anything in our path. I could feel something running down the back of my head and I reached up to see that it was blood.  _ It’s not too bad I can deal with it later.  _ I picked up Flag and put him behind me while everyone else came to join so that we could keep him safe. It sounds really sweet when put that way but truly he’s just a pain in the ass.

“Jesus what kind of fucking soldier are you? What makes you so fucking special?” I asked while swiping at the blood that ran down my neck.

“Let me fight!” He whined, trying to shoot from over our shoulders but we had it under control.

“Not a chance, anything happens to you we lose our heads!” Floyd shot down the last creature and it was silent again except for all of our mutual heavy breathing.

“Move out!”  _ He almost gets captured twice and yet somehow he’s still the leader, how does this fucking work? _

We made our way outside to a connecting walkway when shots started to come from every direction.

“Fall back Harley!” I yelled at her while I tackled her back inside.  _ What the actual fuck is going on now? _

“Hey Scar?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re hurt…” She said while reaching up to touch the back of my head.

“I know it’s okay, it’s not that bad.”  _ I’ve had worse, much worse. _

She grabbed my face and pulled my mask down before bringing her lips to mine in a punishing kiss. It was needy and desperate and alerted me that something was wrong with her.

“What’s wrong Harls?”

“Well I’m starting to get scared that we might not make it out of here and I just wanted to do that in case I didn’t get the chance to again.” She didn’t look scared, but then again she’s one that laughs through the pain, quite literally. 

“Duly noted, but we’re gonna be fine Harls...” The room lit up and I saw flames engulfing the creatures that were just shooting at us a moment ago. 

Harley and I walked out to see Diablo destroying everything in front of him as fire shot out of his hands. Then like a snap it just stopped, there weren’t anymore flames except for the ones that he had created and the ones burning the creatures, he looked back at us like he was expecting something.

“Damn hot stuff who you knew ya had it in ya?” I could see him give a small smile before we had to move out again. 

We had to of course take the stairs because the elevators in this building didn’t want to work. I was walking behind Harley and I know damn well that she was purposely moving her hips in a way that was driving me crazy. She started to slow her pace down and I matched mine to hers.

“Shit, I gotta work on my cardio.”  _ What you didn’t have time for when you were stuck in prison? _

“You can work on it when we get done, let's go. Harley? Harley…” I had walked in front of her but turned back around when she didn’t respond. She was looking over the railing to the flights below, she was very far away, almost like she was hypnotized. I slowly made my way to her and tapped her shoulder to grab her attention. 

She quickly snapped out of it and pulled out her gun before pointing it at me. I grabbed the barrel and pointed it upwards,“woah Harls, it’s just me…”

“Have you ever been in love Scar?” She knows it's me but I don’t think she knows where she’s at just yet.

“No...I thought I was at one point, I wasn’t. I don’t think I could ever be vulnerable enough to love someone. Not after everything I’ve been through.” Things that weren’t said, Ra’s ruined me, I ruined myself, love has been ruined since my childhood, love is too manipulative in my life.

“So I guess it doesn’t do anyone any good to tell you that they love you then huh?”  _ If that’s you telling me that you love me, first off, why? Secondly, now is just not the time. _

“Harley…”

She cut me off and holstered her gun again, “no just forget it...let’s just get this guy and get the fuck out.”

I couldn’t agree more as I trailed behind her on the rest of the way up. 

“So who do you think the mystery guy is?”

“I’ve got an idea, I just don’t think that they’d be stupid enough to stay here with everything going on.” 

I sat down for a quick breather when I saw Deadshot go into the room behind Flag unnoticed. It was a few minutes before the door opened again and out walked Waller,  _ well my guess was right on the nose, maybe she is that stupid. _

“No fucking way.” Harley said while walking over to Flag.

“Any regular person would be running scared shitless with this many people wanting them dead.” I said to Waller when I joined the gaggle.

“I’m not a regular person, now let's get home, now”  _ No, not a regular person, just a heartless bitch who murdered my dog and stuck a bomb in my neck.  _

“Yeah you’re absolutely right, let’s go home, you guys wanna go back home or go back to prison?” Boomerang said beside me,  _ he must really be a fucking dumbass to think that threatening this woman is gonna work in his favor.  _

“No way in hell am I going back to prison,” Harley chimed in

“Great so we’re all agreed, let’s kill the pair of them and walk out of here.”  _ Now hold on, as much as I would like to be in agreement I’m not. _

“Don’t be stupid everyone,” I addressed everyone in the room, including Flag cuz he’s been pretty stupid lately.

“You should listen to her, I’m proud of you all for making it this far, let’s not lose our heads.” Waller said as she held up the phone that could easily kill us all.

“I told you all that Flag wasn’t the only one with the control.” They all gave me a look that said ‘shut up and quit being right.’

Then Croc decided to chime in with a loud “I like her.”

“Oh buddy you just dropped down to the bottom of the friendship list.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	24. The Partial Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys the final chapter! The final countdown! The moment we've all been waiting for?! The sorrowful finale! I hope you don't hate me for it... HAPPY READING!

The fact that we came all this way into the city just for it to end up being a rescue mission for Waller pisses me off more than I can imagine. I want her dead, Bruce would be mad at me for it but I think he could easily get over it, maybe I’ll just lull her into an eternal coma.  _ Yeah lets try and see her run the government from a hospital bed. _

We all made our way up to the top of the roof to wait for the chopper that was supposed to get Waller safely out of the city. After that I don’t know what the hell is supposed to happen, Flag didn’t deem us worthy enough to know.

“Hey Scar do ya think that after this is over we could see each other more, I just don’t wanna go months without seeing ya again.” Harley asked, climbing the stairs beside me. I really couldn’t help but smile at her question.

“That’s gonna be kind of hard to do inside a cell Harls.” She just scoffed and nudged me.

“Stop playing bunny you know we’re getting out of here.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you call me bunny?” She laughed and grabbed my hand that was swinging on my right side.

“You have this habit of scrunching up your nose when you’re thinking or angry, I noticed it back at the asylum but of course it wasn’t appropriate to call you that at the time. If you don’t want me calling you it though I’ll stop. Pinky swear on it.” She held up her pinky for me to take.

_ She really is too cute for her own damn good, and she shouldn’t be.  _ “I don’t mind if you call me that, just try and keep it to a minimum.” The smile I got for that was the biggest one she had ever given me, and it was so genuine.

I let go of her hand to keep up with the group as we approached the top of the building. When we walked out the door you could see the neighboring building still in flames as the smoke went up in the air. There was already a chopper waiting for us, it just had to make its descent.  _ What must Bruce think of this chaos? _

I could hear one of Flags men try to communicate with the people in the chopper but he wasn’t getting a response,  _ something doesn’t feel right. _

“Flag this doesn’t feel right.” I heard Floyd yell at him over the sound of whirring blades. 

I was about to walk up to Flag to confirm what was going on when I felt Harley grab my hand and shake her head at me,  _ what the fuck is that supposed to mean? _

I heard Flag yell that the bird had been jacked before they started firing at it. Harley pulled me behind an air conditioning unit when the sound of a machine gun echoed across the rooftop. Then I heard that laugh, that fucking laugh that I heard whenever I woke up from a phantom ache in my scars. The laugh that echoed down the halls of the asylum when I just wanted peace and quiet.

“Jesus Harley what the fuck?!”

“What do I gotta hickkey or something?”  _ Not funny. _

Harley’s phone vibrated in her hands, I saw the text message pop up on the screen.

_ YOU SCAR NOW _

She looked at me and smiled, “Harley...no.”

“Scar please…”

“I can’t trust him Harley!”

“Then trust me Scar...just trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

_ If you die for this cause Leta then you die, your life has no meaning outside of us anymore. You have nothing...do you understand? _

I nodded at her and took her hand again, she gave it a reassuring squeeze before pulling me to my feet. We turned to face the bird that housed the Joker dressed in his Sunday best. I felt like The Bride in  _ Kill Bill  _ when all she sees is red. It’s exactly how I feel looking at him.  _ I want him dead, more than Ra’s, more than Waller, I want him dead. _

As Harley and I walked towards the edge I could hear Waller yell ‘kill them!” Surprisingly I wasn’t dead right then and there. I saw the rope dangling from the aircraft and I knew what I was supposed to do. I just don’t know if I could. I felt Harley let go of my hand as she started to run and I matched pace with her.

“Now Scar!”  _ Now what! Oh jump right. _

After my hand grabbed the rope my eyes shut as I swung from so many feet in the air. I don’t even know if Harley made it or not,  _ please let her have made it cuz I can’t open my eyes right now.  _

I heard Harley laugh below me so I knew she made it and I let out a relieved sigh. “Open your eyes Scar it’s okay!”

“No thanks I’m good.”

I felt her fiddle with the rope below me and I knew she must have been doing some sort of crazy tricks with them.  _ Come on Scar open your eyes, you can do this.  _ I did and I looked down to see her with the rope wrapped around her hands free.

“You are one crazy bitch!”

“Yeah but I’m your crazy bitch baby.” I laughed along with her at that.

Then a gunshot rang out and I looked down to see the rope wrapped around Harley unfurl and I saw her body drop down. My heart dropped into my stomach.

“Harley!”

Then she stopped and I knew she was okay, she looked up at me and laughed.

“Didn’t mean to scare ya bunny.”

“I swear if we get out of this I’m gonna…”

“Give me a kiss?”

“If you’re lucky.” I felt the rope being tugged upward and I took that as the que to start climbing.  _ Joker is at the top of that rope, do you really wanna climb it.  _ I had to think about that for a moment.  _ You could always kill him, yeah and then run the risk of dying by one of his goons on the plane, I could probably take them, you probably couldn’t as well. It would hurt Harley, I’ve hurt her enough already. _

When I reached the top of the rope I saw a white glove lend out a helping hand. I refused to take it and pulled myself up onto the helicarrier. When I stood on the shaky ground I looked up to see the fucking smile that just made me see even more red then before. 

I punched him, it knocked him down to the ground and I heard a gun cock from my left and felt it press against my temple, it was one of his men. He pulled himself back up and wiped some blood from the side of his mouth,  _ still doesn’t make up for all the blood he drew on me, but it’s a start.  _ He held out a hand to the man pointing the gun at me.

“It’s alright, she’s just lucky it’s a special night.” Then he laughed, and laughed and laughed.

“Hey a little help here…” I looked down to see that Harley was struggling to get up and that we were also flying over a river between two parts of the city. I leaned down to help her up and she immediately flew into Joker’s arms. I had to look away so I just stared out at the skyline.

“Puddin!” I could hear them kiss,  _ Jesus am I that loud when we kiss?  _ “Did you get all dressed up for me?  _ Oh fuck me!  _

“Oh you know I’d do anything for you doll, and by the way I’ve got some grape soda on ice and a bear skin rug waiting.”  _ Now I really might throw up. _

I heard a loud beeping coming from the cockpit and I heard one of Jokers men yell that there was a problem. All of a sudden there was a jolt from the front and the cockpit was up in flames. 

My feet slid down the lowered platform and before I could even blink I was falling.

“SCARLETT!”

I could hear Harley scream my name, but I don’t think I even had the ability to scream now. Whoever said that falling feels like it happens in slow motion was absolutely right. It feels exactly like that.  _ Is this what Bruce feels when he flies? Oh God Bruce...he better not blame himself, he has a tendency to do that. Harley...poor Harley, I hope she leaves him, she deserves better. I’m not it, but it’s out there. I wonder what happens after we die? Come on Scar now is not the time for an existential crisis… _

My body hit the water, but it didn’t kill me surprisingly. Fun fact about me though, I can’t swim, isn’t that stupid? I never learned after my parents almost let me drown at a hotel pool, they weren’t paying attention and I was too scared to ever go back in the water after that. Funny how that’s going to be the reason why I die. My fears and my parents neglect, the same reasons why I left home so young, which led to me joining the League, which led me to Gotham, which led me here.  _ Maybe all of this can be chalked down to my parents when you really look at it.  _

I can’t breathe and that’s really scary. Everything about this is scary and usually when I’m scared, I’m mad. Right now though I’m not mad.

_ You always knew you were going to die alone didn’t you Leta? _

_ You can’t hurt me anymore Ra’s, you can’t haunt me anymore. _

_ Do you really think that Leta? _

_ Yeah, I do...I really do. _

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...that's all folks! Thank you all so much for supporting this story, it's the first one I've ever finished and I'm so freaking proud of it. This story has been going on for years because I just never got the motivation to finish it until this year, and I'm so glad I did because now I get to say that I actually wrote a story and that feels really great. Once again I just wanna say thanks again for supporting this story! Also there is no garuntee that my girl's story is over with yet. Maybe I'll write a Birds of Prey follow up or maybe a fully flushed out backstory, possibly even an epilogues, cause readers love epilogues...who knows, she could just stay gone as well. I'm sorry if this wasn't the ending that everyone was hoping for but it just felt like the right one, but thank you again for sticking around!
> 
> Just another quick side note I would like to plug some stories I'm thinking of writing in the future if you guys would be interested in reading any of them please let me know which one you would like to see most.
> 
> Future Stories
> 
> Star Wars: Kylo Ren/OC
> 
> Avengers: Steve/Bucky/Darcy or Bucky/OC...I'm honestly not sure on this one yet.
> 
> Doctor Who: Doctor/OC


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